2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

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 Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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 Pennsylvania, there were 308 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,300 and $48,733 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 189 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 Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Pennsylvania (With Aid)

#1

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#3 in overall quality

$40,836 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

Pitt also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pitt are $40,836, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

#2

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$24,236 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the #2 spot on the list. Temple is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 34 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Temple are $24,236, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Temple University Public Policy Report

#3

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

$32,960 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elizabethtown College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Etown is located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Etown also took the #0 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Etown are $32,960, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at Elizabethtown College

#4

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#1 in overall quality

$47,326 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$73,720 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #4 spot on the list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 111 students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon University are $47,326, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (With Aid)

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 >