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2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

11 Ranked Colleges
892 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Far Western US region, there were 892 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,209 and $22,744 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

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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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for far western us region 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UC Berkeley

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 131 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $12,644 for Far Western US Region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at UCLA

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNLV has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $11,929 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 UNLV

4
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 199 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $22,826 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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%. 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.

Read full report on Public Policy at USC

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,126 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Policy at UCR

6

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 14 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,275 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 UC Irvine

7
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 25 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Portland State University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,964 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Portland State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Portland State University

8
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Washington State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Washington State University is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,233 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington State University Public Policy Report

9
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

Mills College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mills, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mills is $22,894 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Mills

10
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California Lutheran University is $24,375 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at California Lutheran University

11
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 31 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Pepperdine also took the #13 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $32,267 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pepperdine.

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 1.8% 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Pepperdine

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