2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Policy School for You
In 2020-2021, 798 degrees and certificates were awarded to public policy students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #103 most popular major in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Public Policy Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public policy students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Public Policy Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best value school in California for public policy students. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Public Policy Schools in California list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great value for public policy students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $13,258 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UCLA also claimed a spot on our Best Public Policy Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent programs at University of California - San Francisco helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in California. UCSF is a small public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loma Linda University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Loma Linda University undergraduate students pay an average of $36,412 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California Lutheran University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public policy students. It came in at #6 on the list. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Thousand Oaks.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CLU are $45,982 per year.
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University of California - Riverside landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public policy programs. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.
UCR undergraduate students pay an average of $13,754 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public policy majors at UCR accumulate an average of around $19,487 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $70, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public policy students. It came in at #8 on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
USC undergraduate students pay an average of $61,503 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 10% of our Best Public Policy Schools in California ranking.
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Pepperdine University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in California ranking. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Malibu.
Pepperdine undergraduate students pay an average of $59,702 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #10, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MSMU are $45,388 a year.
Request InformationBest Value Public Policy Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 32 |
| Oregon | 50 |
| Nevada | 12 |
| Alaska | 0 |
More Public Policy Rankings in California
Majors Related to Public Policy
One of 5 majors within the area of study, public policy has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Public Policy
| 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 11 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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