2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region
17
Ranked Colleges
709
Degrees Awarded
$38,895
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,484 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $32,327 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 1,271 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,417 and $28,438 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 709 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,436 and $23,790 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. That schools that top this list have a program in public policy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students.
Top 17 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southeast Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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 Duke
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #2 spot on the list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 166 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full William & Mary Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full Regent University Public Policy Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Young Harris College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Young Harris, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
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 full report on Public Policy at Young Harris College
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 University of Virginia
University of Mississippi came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Ole Miss is a large public school situated in University, Mississippi. It awarded 55 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 88%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Ole Miss
With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 42 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at Vanderbilt
Oakwood University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This small school is located in Huntsville, Alabama, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Oakwood
Mercer University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Macon, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at Mercer University
Georgia State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Georgia State is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Georgia State Public Policy Report
Virginia Tech came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 15 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 92%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Virginia Tech
Augusta University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Augusta University is a medium-sized public school situated in Augusta, Georgia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Augusta University
Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at TNU
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Georgia Tech is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 27 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, 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%.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Public Policy Report
Emory University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Emory
With a ranking of #17, Elon University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Elon University is located in Elon, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 88%.
Read more about Public Policy at Elon University
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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
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