2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Plains States region, there were 127 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,900 and $41,705 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 110 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$56,562 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562.

Full Washington University in St Louis Public Policy Report

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$55,577 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Public Policy Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 9 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNI Public Policy Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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