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Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$17,645 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$54,843 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Policy School for You

In 2020-2021, 470 degrees and certificates were awarded to public policy students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #61 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 can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Virginia 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.

Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Policy

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best value school for public policy students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $14,174 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Virginia Tech also took the #3 spot in our Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia rankings.

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#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GMU also is in the top 15% of our Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia ranking.

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$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for public policy in Virginia.

Full Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

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#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Liberty University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Policy at Liberty University Report

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#5

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA
$23,812 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William & Mary are $23,812 per year. While working on their degree, public policy majors at William & Mary accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt.

William & Mary also took the #5 spot in our Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia rankings.

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#6

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA
$18,820 Average Tuition & Fees

Regent University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public policy programs. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Regent are $18,820 per year. After completing their degree, public policy graduates from Regent carry an average student debtload of $25,800.

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Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 87
North Carolina 463
Florida 13
Tennessee 104
Kentucky 22
South Carolina 2
Louisiana 8
Arkansas 8
Alabama 9
Mississippi 51
West Virginia 23

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 6 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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