2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Public Policy School for You
In 2020-2021, 544 degrees and certificates were awarded to public policy students who went to a Massachusetts college or university. This makes it the #65 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. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 9 schools in Massachusetts 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.
Best Massachusetts Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Policy
Our 2023 rankings named Salem State University the best value school in Massachusetts for public policy students. Located in the suburb of Salem, Salem State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Salem State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,675 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Out of the 9 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harvard are $55,587 per year.
Harvard also made our Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list, coming in at #3.
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The excellent programs at University of Massachusetts - Boston helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public policy schools in Massachusetts. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Boston.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMass Boston are $14,677 a year.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Simmons University is a great value for public policy students. Located in the city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Simmons undergraduate students pay an average of $43,062 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMass Amherst are $16,439 per year.
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Boston University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Boston U are $59,816 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Boston U is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list.
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With a ranking of #7, Suffolk University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. Suffolk is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Suffolk are $41,648 per year.
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Brandeis University 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. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brandeis are $60,006 per year. Public Policy majors at Brandeis take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Tufts University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tufts are $63,000 a year.
Tufts excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list.
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Request InformationBest Value Public Policy Colleges in the New England Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | 153 |
| New Hampshire | 23 |
| Maine | 27 |
| Rhode Island | 154 |
| Vermont | 21 |
More Public Policy Rankings in Massachusetts
Public Policy Related Majors for Public Policy
Public Policy is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 9 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.