by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major” ranking.
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.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 260 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major” ranking looked at 53 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public policy.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree public policy students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern University and A & M College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Southern University and A & M College is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Southern University and A & M College Public Policy Report
Out of the 53 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandeis University landed the #2 spot on the list. Waltham, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. UTHealth is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 16 doctorate’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Niagara University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major. Niagara University, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this fairly large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Michigan Technological University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Michigan Technological University is a medium-sized school located in Houghton, Michigan that handed out 3 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
University of Southern Maine ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. University of Southern Maine is a medium-sized public school situated in Portland, Maine. It awarded 2 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
With a ranking of #8, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. The New School is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Harvard University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 16 doctorate’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is a medium-sized school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts that handed out 4 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 21 doctorate’s public policy degrees 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 University of Nevada - Las Vegas
University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #12. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Massachusetts - Boston Public Policy Report
Loma Linda University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. This small school is located in Loma Linda, California, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
George Mason University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. UT Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 9 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas at Dallas
University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #16. University of Arkansas is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 5 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #17. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Teachers College at Columbia University Public Policy Report
George Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Portland State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #19. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 10 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Public Policy Report
Georgia State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #21. Georgia State is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 2 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Rutgers University - Camden did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #23. Camden, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s public policy degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #24. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Public Policy Report
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