2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major
197
Ranked Colleges
6,430
Degrees Awarded
$35,400
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major” ranking analyzed 197 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public policy programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Well Attended Public Policy Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for public policy students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Public Policy
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 411 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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.
Full UChicago Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 269 students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Duke University Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 221 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Princeton University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 225 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full U-M Public Policy Report
Out of the 197 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 201 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at Georgetown
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 235 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMCP Public Policy Report
Harvard University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 193 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Full Harvard University Public Policy Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #8. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 190 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brandeis University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Brandeis is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 185 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
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 excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Brandeis University
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #10. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 165 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Virginia
University of Southern California ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 199 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at USC
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 131 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at UCLA
Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #13. Brown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 127 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Brown University Public Policy Report
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #14. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 124 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 ASU - Tempe
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 114 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #16. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 109 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of California - Riverside
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 115 students in 2020-2021.
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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas at Austin
Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full ASU - Skysong Public Policy Report
George Mason University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at George Mason University
SUNY Empire State College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. SUNY Empire State College is located in Saratoga Springs, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 86 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 SUNY Empire Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #21, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Public Policy at Liberty University
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #22. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Carnegie Mellon Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #23, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 73 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Cornell University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 71 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 full report on Public Policy at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
George Washington University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major ranking. GWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full GWU Public Policy Report
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