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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

9 Ranked Colleges
540 Degrees Awarded
$30,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 989 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,283 and $31,567 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 540 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 337 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at UChicago

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 105 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UW - Madison Public Policy Report

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at UIC

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Dearborn. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UM Dearborn is located in Dearborn, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UM Dearborn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UM Dearborn are $25,072.

Full UM Dearborn Public Policy Report

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056.

Read more about Public Policy at Michigan State University

#7

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at National Louis University are $12,096, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at National Louis University

#8

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at Loyola Chicago

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, DePaul has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at DePaul

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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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