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Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

29 Colleges
$22,068 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$51,943 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public administration was ranked #59 in the country. In fact 16,905 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for public admin students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 10 Best Public Administration Schools

#1

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD
$12,942 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of South Dakota to be the best value school for public administration students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USD are $12,942 a year.

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Our analysis found Minnesota State University - Mankato to be the best value school for public administration students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year.

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$9,394 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Metropolitan State University is a great value for public administration students. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Metro State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,394 in tuition and fees each year.

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#4

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN
$46,221 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Hamline University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in the Plains States Region . Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hamline are $46,221 per year.

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#5

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

The excellent programs at Drake University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in the Plains States Region . Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Drake are $45,912 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Drake is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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Winona State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Winona State are $16,684 per year.

Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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#7

Park University

Parkville, MO
$8,853 Average Tuition & Fees

Park University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Park University are $8,853 per year.

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#9

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN
$18,010 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Cloud State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Cloud State University are $18,010 per year.

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#10

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND
$15,037 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Dakota 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. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a large student population.

UND undergraduate students pay an average of $15,037 in tuition and fees each year.

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Best Public Administration Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 368
Minnesota 504
Kansas 147
Iowa 114
Nebraska 110
North Dakota 24
South Dakota 37

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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