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2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k

9 Ranked Colleges
536 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Southwest region, there were 536 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,050 and $23,421 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 9 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 121 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $20,454 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at The University of Texas at Austin

#2

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $18,844 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Houston

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 51 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Dallas is $20,552 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Dallas Public Policy Report

#4

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $20,200 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Public Policy Report

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #5 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 1 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Arlington, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Arlington is $16,473 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Public Policy Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Arizona State University - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 85 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

ASU - Skysong also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Skysong is $20,321 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong Public Policy Report

#6

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

With a ranking of #6, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,920 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Full UNM Public Policy Report

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 5 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $26,028 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station Public Policy Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

University of Oklahoma also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $24,730 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Oklahoma Public Policy Report

Southern Methodist University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Southern Methodist University is a fairly large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 41 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

SMU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $34,587 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SMU.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full SMU Public Policy Report

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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