2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k)
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 3,160 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 74 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 228 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 67 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Duke also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 337 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 74 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton are $56,470, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Brown University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brown University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 55 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Brown also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brown University are $60,363, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WUSTL also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Johns Hopkins University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins University are $59,425, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 105 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #10, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 177 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown are $53,591.
Vanderbilt University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 126 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
William & Mary ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 58 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 75 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia are $32,394.
Trinity College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and it awarded 10 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. Average graduate tuition and fees at Trinity College are $17,830, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #18, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 111 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon University are $47,326, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #0 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248.
Read more about Public Policy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 81 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
With a ranking of #21, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMCP also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMCP are $30,885.
With a ranking of #22, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Tufts are $55,168.
Northeastern University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northeastern has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern are $25,558, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #24, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 22 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Public Policy at University of California - Irvine
George Washington University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 86 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
GWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GWU are $31,824.
Read full report on Public Policy at George Washington University
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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