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2023 Best Public Policy Schools

125 Colleges
$49,451 Avg Salary
$21,866 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Policy School for You

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned a degree or certificate in public policy, making the major the #113 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Public Policy Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 125 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Policy Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for public policy majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Public Policy Schools

#1

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Our analysis found Cornell University to be the best school for public policy students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

After completing their degree, public policy graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $13,000.

Full Public Policy at Cornell University Report

#2

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

The excellent programs at Princeton University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Public Policy majors at Princeton take out an average of $10,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Policy at Princeton University

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Harvard University is a great place for public policy students. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard University

The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in the United States. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Full Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley Report

#5

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Public Policy Schools list. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at Duke take out is $10,000.

Full Public Policy at Duke University Report

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Public Policy Schools list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at UChicago take out is $16,683.

Full Public Policy at University of Chicago Report

#7

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA

With a ranking of #7, Elizabethtown College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public policy students. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elizabethtown.

Full Public Policy at Elizabethtown College Report

#8

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public policy students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Read More…

#9

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, public policy graduates from Brown take out $13,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#10

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, MN

St Catherine University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public policy programs. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

Full Public Policy at St Catherine University Report

#11

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA

With a ranking of #11, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public policy students. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.

Read More…

#12

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public policy students. It came in at #12 on the list. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.

Full Public Policy at University of North Dakota Report

#13

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public policy students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University Report

#14

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Public Policy Schools list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at Northwestern take out is $17,059.

Read More…

#15

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public policy programs. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

#16

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA

Dickinson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public policy students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the city of Carlisle, Dickinson is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Public Policy at Dickinson College Report

#17

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public policy programs. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Full Public Policy at University of Pennsylvania Report

#18

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public policy students. It came in at #18 on the list. Clemson is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Clemson.

Full Public Policy at Clemson University Report

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Public Policy students that almost earned our Best Public Policy Schools award.

Rank College Location
19 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
20 Trinity College Hartford, CT
21 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
22 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
23 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
24 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
25 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC

Public Policy by Region

View the Best Public Policy Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Public Policy is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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