2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,524 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 51 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public policy program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Princeton University is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 108 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton University is $7,576 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 233 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $4,150 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $7,934 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,869 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cornell University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 66 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $6,452 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Stanford University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Stanford has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,959 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Vanderbilt University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $8,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Brown University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.
Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $11,689 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $10,028 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Public Policy Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $12,752 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 168 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #16 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $11,060 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
William & Mary did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, William & Mary has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $11,721 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
University of Virginia also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,671 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 more about Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,418 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #15, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,982 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 83 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 91%.
With a ranking of #17, Trinity College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Trinity Bantams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 32 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity Bantams is $14,994 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $18,276 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Carnegie Mellon University
St Catherine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. St Catherine University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 5 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Kate’s did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Kate’s is $17,062 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,683 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
St Mary’s College of Maryland did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. St Mary’s College of Maryland is a small school located in St. Mary’s City, Maryland that handed out 10 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SMCM is $12,650 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Dickinson College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dickinson is a private not-for-profit institution located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Dickinson not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,152 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Dickinson.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Delaware did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Newark, Delaware, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UD has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Delaware.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Gettysburg College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Gettysburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Gettysburg College is $16,918 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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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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