2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Administration School for You
In 2020-2021, 16,905 people earned a degree or certificate in public administration, making the major the #59 most popular in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Public Administration Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 316 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public admin students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Administration
Our 2023 rankings named Columbia Southern University the best value school in the United States for public administration students. Columbia Southern University is a large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Orange Beach.
Columbia Southern University undergraduate students pay an average of $5,775 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Columbia Southern University also did well on our Best Public Administration Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Colorado State University - Global Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. Located in the large city of Greenwood Village, Colorado State University - Global Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Colorado State University - Global Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $8,400 in tuition and fees each year.
Colorado State University - Global Campus also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Public Administration at Colorado State University - Global Campus Report
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Out of the 316 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - I are $4,416 per year.
Read full report on Public Administration at Brigham Young University - Idaho
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $8,367 per year. After completing their degree, public admin graduates from WCU carry an average student debtload of $18,429.
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Out of the 316 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.
Minnesota State Mankato undergraduate students pay an average of $18,200 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Minnesota State Mankato also is in the top 15% of our Best Public Administration Schools ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.
USD undergraduate students pay an average of $12,942 in tuition and fees each year.
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Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IWU are $9,239 per year.
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Metropolitan State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools ranking. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Metro State are $9,394 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Metro State also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Administration Schools ranking.
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Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Public Administration Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Tyler Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #10 on the list. Tyler Junior College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.
Tyler Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,440 in tuition and fees each year.
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Hudson Valley Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools ranking. HVCC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Troy.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at HVCC are $10,764 per year.
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With a ranking of #12, Anna Maria College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the rural area of Paxton, Anna Maria is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anna Maria are $40,208 per year.
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American Public University System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #13 on the list. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town.
American Military University undergraduate students pay an average of $7,360 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, American Military University also is in the top 5% of our Best Public Administration Schools ranking.
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Hamline University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #14 on the list. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Hamline are $46,221 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Hamline is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools list.
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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FDU are $38,074 per year.
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Drake University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Drake are $45,912 a year.
Drake excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools list.
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With a ranking of #17, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Winona State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,684 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 10% of our Best Public Administration Schools ranking.
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With a ranking of #18, Park University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Park University are $8,853 a year.
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With a ranking of #19, Westfield State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Westfield are $17,219 per year.
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University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #21 on the list. UMGC is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Adelphi.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMGC are $12,336 per year. The average amount in student loans that public admin majors at UMGC take out is $21,108.
UMGC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools list.
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With a ranking of #22, Post University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Post University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Waterbury.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Post University are $15,458 per year.
Full Public Administration at Post University Report
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Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASU - Skysong are $13,092 per year.
ASU - Skysong excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools list.
Read full report on Public Administration at Arizona State University - Skysong
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Northern Illinois University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration programs. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Public Administration at Northern Illinois University
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Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools list. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Madison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FDU are $40,054 a year.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Public Administration students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Public Administration Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 49 | Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau, MO |
| 50 | California Baptist University | Riverside, CA |
| 51 | Lamar University | Beaumont, TX |
| 52 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 53 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 54 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 55 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 56 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 57 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 58 | Hunter College | New York, NY |
| 59 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 59 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 61 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 62 | California State University - Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 62 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
Public Administration by Region
View the Best Value Public Administration Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Public Administration Related Majors for Public Admin
Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Public Admin
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,326 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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