2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the New England Region
13
Ranked Colleges
929
Degrees Awarded
$13,600
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.
Across the New England region, there were 929 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,069 and $23,320 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
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 in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the New England Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 193 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $1,396 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at Harvard
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #2 spot on the list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 127 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $2,842 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Brown Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Trinity College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Hartford, Connecticut, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Trinity Bantams also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity College is $8,608 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Trinity Bantams Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tufts, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $7,987 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tufts University.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Tufts Public Policy Report
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandeis University landed the #5 spot on the list. Brandeis is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 185 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Brandeis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis University is $19,186 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read more about Public Policy at Brandeis University
With a ranking of #6, University of Southern Maine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Portland, Maine, this medium-sized public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Southern Maine, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $9,167 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Southern Maine.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Southern Maine Public Policy Report
University of Connecticut ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Storrs, Connecticut is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.
UCONN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $15,498 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCONN.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UCONN
University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this fairly large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UMass Boston also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Boston is $14,230 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Massachusetts - Boston
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 57 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $13,203 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst
With a ranking of #10, University of Rhode Island did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. URI is located in Kingston, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
URI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend URI is $13,601 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Rhode Island
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Durham, New Hampshire. It awarded 17 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNH has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is $17,650 for new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Simmons University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Simmons, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $23,753 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Simmons.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Simmons University
Suffolk University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Suffolk has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $29,224 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Suffolk.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Suffolk University Public Policy Report
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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
- *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
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