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Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

7 Colleges
$37,484 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,423 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Policy School for You

In 2020-2021, 330 degrees and certificates were awarded to public policy students who went to a Pennsylvania college or university. This makes it the #99 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 Policy Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 7 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value programs for public policy 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania

Check out the public policy programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Pennsylvania Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Policy

$11,108 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California University of Pennsylvania the best value school in Pennsylvania for public policy students. Cal U is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of California.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal U are $11,108 per year.

Read More…

#2

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA
$34,600 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Elizabethtown College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Etown are $34,600 per year.

Etown also claimed a spot on our Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Public Policy at Elizabethtown College Report

#3

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA
$17,378 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 7 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Temple undergraduate students pay an average of $17,378 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$20,362 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list. Pitt is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pitt are $20,362 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Pitt also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.

Full Public Policy at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#5

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA
$58,524 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Carnegie Mellon University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon are $58,524 a year.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read full report on Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University

#6

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
$61,710 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UPenn are $61,710 per year.

UPenn not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Pennsylvania

#7

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA
$58,708 Average Tuition & Fees

Dickinson College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the small city of Carlisle, Dickinson is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dickinson are $58,708 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Dickinson is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Public Policy at Dickinson College Report

Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 382
Maryland 263
New Jersey 285
District of Columbia 320
Delaware 46

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 7 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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