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by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2021-2022, 6,484 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. 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 Far Western US region, there were 954 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,209 and $42,277 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 516 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,396 and $49,784 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 22 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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 far western us region master’s degree public policy students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Lutheran University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region. Malibu, California 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 33 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Bothell Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is located in Bothell, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 111 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
University of Southern California landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 97 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Southern California
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 64 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 49 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 95%.
Full University of California - San Diego Public Policy Report
Stanford University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 23 masters’s public policy 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. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Public Policy Report
Oregon State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Oregon State is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 19 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 87%.
With a ranking of #12, Portland State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Portland State University is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
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 full report on Public Policy at Portland State University
With a ranking of #13, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Public Policy Report
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 25 masters’s public policy degrees 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of California - San Francisco came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCSF is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - San Francisco
University of the Pacific came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 3 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Washington State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 11 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 21 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 full report on Public Policy at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
With a ranking of #18, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 2 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Claremont Graduate University
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #18, University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Alaska Anchorage is a public institution located in Anchorage, Alaska. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Hastings College of Law came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this small public school awarded 0 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 University of California - Hastings College of Law
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