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2025 Best Public Policy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

13 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
1,536 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$56,036 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public policy, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #113 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Public Policy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,536 degrees in public policy to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Policy School

Best Public Policy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region Your choice of public policy school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Public Policy School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Public Policy Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Policy
Master's Degrees in Public Policy
Doctor's Degrees in Public Policy

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 Best Public Policy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Policy in the Middle Atlantic Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the public policy degree levels they offer.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Public Policy

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$77,906 Median Starting Salary

Cornell University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were about 67 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Those public policy students who get their degree from Cornell University make $21,870 more than the standard public policy graduate.

More information about a degree in public policy from Cornell University

2
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$79,425 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Princeton University if you want to pursue a degree in public policy. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 210 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year. Those public policy students who get their degree from Princeton University make $23,389 more than the standard public policy student.

More information about a degree in public policy from Princeton University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Business Administration - Public Administration Program Name

Prepare yourself to make the decisions that best serve a community, its constituents and its economic growth with this specialized business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Business Administration - Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
262 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
10.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Maryland - College Park if you wish to pursue a degree in public policy. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were about 262 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public policy major at University of Maryland - College Park make $9,668 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Maryland - College Park

4
Hamilton crest
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NY
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Hamilton College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the midsize suburb of Clinton, Hamilton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 12th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 21 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Hamilton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from Hamilton College

5
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
35 Public Policy Degrees Awarded

UAlbany is a large public university located in the medium-sized city of Albany. This university ranks 27th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 35 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UAlbany in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University at Albany

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$36,796 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 37 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public policy program earn an average of $36,796 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Delaware

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
33 Public Policy Degrees Awarded

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 33 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MBA in Public Administration Program Name

Fit new strategic skills into your public service passion and goals when you earn an MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MBA in Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In PA
50 Public Policy Degrees Awarded

Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia. This university ranks 8th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 50 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from Temple University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$60,685 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public policy major at Rutgers University - New Brunswick make $4,649 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public policy from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MD

UMBC is a large public university located in the suburb of Baltimore. This university ranks 6th out of 35 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were about 14 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UMBC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Best Public Policy Colleges by State

Explore the best public policy colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 317
New York 333 369
Maryland 279 223
New Jersey 273 284
District of Columbia 188 317
Delaware 175 46

View All Rankings >

Public Policy is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Policy Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis 1,332
Other Public Policy Analysis 65
Health Policy Analysis 53
International Policy Analysis 52
Education Policy Analysis 34

View All Public Policy Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 3,063
Human Services 2,540
Community Organization & Advocacy 743
Other Public Administration 247

View All Public Policy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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