2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region
27
Ranked Colleges
770
Degrees Awarded
$61,287
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking.
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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 1,536 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,681 and $34,044 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 770 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,038 and $47,245 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 27 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their public policy program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region”.
Top 27 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 89 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Princeton University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 59 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 98%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Georgetown University Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Teachers College at Columbia University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Teachers College at Columbia University is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 22 masters’s public policy 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%. 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 Teachers College at Columbia University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 98 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 63 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full The American University Public Policy Report
Elizabethtown College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Elizabethtown College is a small school located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania that handed out 0 masters’s public policy degrees 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%.
Full Elizabethtown College Public Policy Report
Delaware Valley University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. DelVal is a private not-for-profit institution located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Delaware Valley University
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 129 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Public Policy Report
York College of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #9. York, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full York College of Pennsylvania Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #10, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The New School is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 24 masters’s public policy 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at The New School
George Washington University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. GWU is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 74 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at GWU
With a ranking of #12, Temple University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Temple University is a large public school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 48 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Temple University
With a ranking of #13, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 33 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at Pitt
Rutgers University - Camden landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Rutgers University - Camden is a medium-sized public school situated in Camden, New Jersey. It awarded 8 masters’s public policy degrees 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Rutgers University - Camden
Drexel University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Drexel
University of Maryland - Baltimore County did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 10 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Maryland - Baltimore County Public Policy Report
Stony Brook 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 Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This large school is located in Stony Brook, New York, and it awarded 16 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 89%. 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%.
Full Stony Brook University Public Policy Report
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. RIT is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read more about Public Policy at RIT
Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #19. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 25 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Rutgers New Brunswick
University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #20. Newark, Delaware is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Delaware
With a ranking of #21, Baruch College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 0 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 87%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Baruch College
New Jersey Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #21. NJIT is located in Newark, New Jersey and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at New Jersey Institute of Technology
Duquesne University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Duquesne University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 17 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Duquesne University
University of Pennsylvania ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 31 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. 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 0.3% 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%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Public Policy Report
Johns Hopkins University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 0 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Johns Hopkins
University at Albany came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. UAlbany is a fairly large public school situated in Albany, New York. It awarded 35 masters’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University at Albany
Cornell University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 67 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 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Cornell 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