2023 Best Public Policy Colleges for Veterans in the Middle Atlantic Region
19
Ranked Colleges
1,628
Degrees Awarded
$35,700
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 1,628 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,681 and $21,366 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region vets studying public policy.
Top 19 Best Public Policy Colleges for Veterans in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 73 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 23,620 students enrolled at Cornell University, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,780. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #2 spot on the list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 201 students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 19,371 students enrolled at Georgetown University, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $30,300. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Georgetown University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Georgetown University]](/colleges/georgetown-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 69 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
GWU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 27,017 students enrolled at GWU were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,185. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at George Washington University]](/colleges/george-washington-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 75 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 117 of the 13,519 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon were GI Bill® students, of which 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,422. On top of their other funding sources, 36 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 96%.
Full Carnegie Mellon Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - College Park. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 235 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UMCP also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 40,709 students enrolled at UMCP, 16 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 13 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,716. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Read More…
Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #6. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Rutgers University - New Brunswick supports 50,411 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,625. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 93%.
Full Rutgers New Brunswick Veteran Student Life Report
University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 26,552 students enrolled at UPenn, 324 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 131 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,383. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Pennsylvania Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #8, University at Albany did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. University at Albany is a public institution located in Albany, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UAlbany also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, UAlbany supports 17,688 students, and 260 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 136 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,220. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University at Albany]](/colleges/suny-at-albany/student-life/veterans/)
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 32,277 students enrolled at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus, 509 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 364 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,281. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Pitt]](/colleges/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus/student-life/veterans/)
American University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 50 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at The American University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, American University supports 14,001 students, and 613 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 388 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $16,027. During this same period, 206 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Delaware came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. Located in Newark, Delaware, this large public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region vets studying public policy list, UD has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 364 of the 23,613 students enrolled at University of Delaware were GI Bill® students, of which 188 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,229. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Delaware]](/colleges/university-of-delaware/student-life/veterans/)
Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #12. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 221 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 24 of the 7,853 students enrolled at Princeton University were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,256. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full Princeton Veteran Student Life Report
SUNY Empire State College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. SUNY Empire is a medium-sized public school situated in Saratoga Springs, New York. It awarded 86 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Empire also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 10,724 students enrolled at SUNY Empire State College, 279 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 177 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,680. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SUNY Empire State College offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SUNY Empire State College Veteran Student Life Report
Temple University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
Temple also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 37,236 students enrolled at Temple, 830 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 510 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,479. During this same period, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Temple Veteran Student Life Report
University of Maryland - Baltimore County ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. University of Maryland - Baltimore County is a fairly large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 21 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMBC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 13,497 students enrolled at UMBC, 53 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 30 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,027. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #16, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy list. New School University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at New School University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 117 of the 9,047 students enrolled at The New School were GI Bill® students, of which 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,786. On top of their other funding sources, 51 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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.
Full The New School Veteran Student Life Report
Siena College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. Siena College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Loudonville, New York. It awarded 37 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Siena, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 48 of the 3,425 students enrolled at Siena College were GI Bill® students, of which 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,102. During this same period, 13 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Siena Veteran Student Life Report
Stony Brook University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking. SUNY Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Stony Brook not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 208 of the 26,782 students enrolled at Stony Brook University were GI Bill® students, of which 127 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,244. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Stony Brook University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Dickinson College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 16 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region vets studying public policy list, Dickinson has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 1,932 students enrolled at Dickinson, 30 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,185. To help with additional expenses, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Dickinson]](/colleges/dickinson-college/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
college factual
.jpg){kind=link}