2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

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 Virginia, there were 477 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,725 and $29,647 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 249 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$34,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$74,576 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at William & Mary

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$32,394 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,997 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 75 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia are $32,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$37,410 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$73,949 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 69 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at GMU

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$8,349 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$50,356 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 92 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at Liberty University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Featured Public Administration Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >