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2023 Best Public Policy Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

6 Ranked Colleges
470 Degrees Awarded
$33,800 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

Across Virginia, there were 470 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $54,843 and $24,525 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

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. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia vets studying public policy.

Top 6 Best Public Policy Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

1
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 88 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU 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 2,334 of the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University were GI Bill® students, of which 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. In addition to receiving other benefits, 42 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 More…

2
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

William & Mary also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 8,939 students enrolled at William & Mary, 531 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 349 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,978. During this same period, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. William & Mary offers credit for military training for eligible 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full William & Mary Veteran Student Life Report

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #3 spot on the list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Virginia Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Virginia Tech supports 37,024 students, and 119 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 108 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,314. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 Virginia Tech]](/colleges/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

4
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 165 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia 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 3 of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 University of Virginia Veteran Student Life Report

5
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 98 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. To help with additional expenses, 386 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #6. Regent University is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 37 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, 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, Regent University supports 10,483 students, and 1,414 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,139 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. In addition to receiving other benefits, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Regent Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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