2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Plains States region, there were 127 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,900 and $41,705 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 110 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$28,845 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$55,577 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 81 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree public policy students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at UNI

#3

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$56,562 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at Washington University in St Louis

• 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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