2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Virginia (With Aid)

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 for a Master’s in Virginia 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 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Getting Aid”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

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

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

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

#1

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$32,394 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,997 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$34,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$74,576 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree public policy students with aid list, William & Mary has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800.

Read full report on Public Policy at William & Mary

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GMU Public Policy Report

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$8,349 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$50,356 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 92 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

Full Liberty University Public Policy Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southeast 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.

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