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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy in Massachusetts

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Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Massachusetts, there were 706 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,148 and $45,482 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public policy.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts public policy students.

Top 14 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy in Massachusetts

1
Brandeis crest
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandeis University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts. Waltham, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 219 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Public Policy at Brandeis

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 304 students in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard University

3
UMass Dartmouth crest
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. North Dartmouth, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 51 students 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 full report on Public Policy at UMass Dartmouth

4

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this fairly large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Massachusetts - Boston Public Policy Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst

6
Suffolk crest
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Suffolk University

7
Bentley crest
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts

Bentley University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts ranking. Bentley University is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Bentley University

8
Holy Cross crest
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #8, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. This small school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 7 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Policy at College of the Holy Cross

9
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Full Tufts Public Policy Report

10
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #10, Simmons University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Simmons University

11
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #11. Boston University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4 ’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Policy at Boston U

12
Hampshire crest
Hampshire College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Hampshire College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts ranking. Hampshire College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Hampshire College

12
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

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 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 Northeastern University

12
Assumption crest
Assumption University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Assumption University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in Massachusetts list. Assumption is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

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 Assumption University Public Policy Report

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