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.
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2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public policy majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Public Policy Schools
Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best value school for public policy students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year.
UC Berkeley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Public Policy Schools in California list.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley
The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public Policy Schools in California list.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Francisco. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in California list. UCSF is a small public school located in the city of San Francisco.
Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UC Irvine undergraduate students pay an average of $13,775 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Loma Linda University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the 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.
California Lutheran University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in California ranking. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Thousand Oaks.
CLU undergraduate students pay an average of $45,982 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
University of California - Riverside came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in California ranking. Located in the large 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.
With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
USC undergraduate students pay an average of $61,503 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
USC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public Policy Schools in California list.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Southern California
With a ranking of #9, Pepperdine University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Malibu.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pepperdine are $59,702 a year.
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in California ranking. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSMU are $45,388 per year.
Best 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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