2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k)
93
Ranked Colleges
6,430
Degrees Awarded
$19,800
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 For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 93 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than 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.
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 Those Making $75-$110k”.
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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k)
Out of the 93 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 193 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $20,059 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Harvard.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Harvard University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 411 students in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $19,895 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UChicago.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 221 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $18,205 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Princeton University
Out of the 93 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #4 spot on the list. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 269 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,113 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Duke University.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at Duke
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 Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 45 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, Northwestern has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,686 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Northwestern.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northwestern University Public Policy Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 225 students in 2020-2021.
U-M also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $17,207 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at U-M
Vanderbilt University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $15,636 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about Public Policy at Vanderbilt
University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,601 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #9, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 190 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $19,088 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Policy Report
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cornell has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $21,043 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Public Policy at Cornell
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #11. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 31 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $20,957 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at UPenn
With a ranking of #12, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 127 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, Brown has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $23,160 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Public Policy at Brown University
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 12 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $15,316 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. UD is located in Newark, Delaware and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $22,093 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Delaware.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at UD
Trinity College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. Hartford, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trinity Bantams, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,469 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Trinity College.
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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Policy at Trinity Bantams
With a ranking of #16, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. Georgetown is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 201 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $27,034 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
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 0.7% 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 Georgetown University Public Policy Report
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 131 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $20,697 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 UCLA
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 115 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $20,425 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Public Policy at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in College Park, Maryland, and it awarded 235 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $75-$110k list, UMCP has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $23,215 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UMCP.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Policy at UMCP
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,777 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend BYU.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at BYU
With a ranking of #21, William & Mary did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
William & Mary also took the #24 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,472 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend William & Mary.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at William & Mary
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $18,938 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Public Policy Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 165 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $22,021 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Virginia Public Policy Report
Augusta University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #24. Augusta, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,102 for Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Augusta University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at Augusta University
George Mason University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 88 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $22,013 for public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend GMU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full GMU Public Policy Report
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