2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region
17
Ranked Colleges
$33,200
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Southwest region, there were 556 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,714 and $22,484 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region”.
Top 17 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 33 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 full report on Public Policy at Rice
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Methodist University landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 44 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 SMU
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of St. Thomas landed the #3 spot on the list. UST is located in Houston, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UST Public Policy Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Dallas Baptist University landed the #4 spot on the list. DBU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Public Policy at Dallas Baptist University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. ASU - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 106 ’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 more about Public Policy at ASU - Skysong
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is located in Chickasha, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 USAO
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 136 students 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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UT Austin
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 16 students in 2021-2022.
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 full report on Public Policy at UTHealth
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 82 ’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at Arizona State University - Tempe
The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. UT Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 48 ’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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UT Dallas
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Oklahoma
With a ranking of #12, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 19 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Houston
With a ranking of #13, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 3 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UNM Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #14, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at Texas A&M University - College Station
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 15 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #16, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Waco, Texas, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Baylor Public Policy Report
The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at UT Arlington
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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.
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