2023 Most Popular Public Policy Schools
Finding the Best Public Policy School for You
In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned a degree or certificate in public policy, making the major the #113 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Public Policy Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 220 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Policy program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Public Policy Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for public policy majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in Public Policy
Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the most popular school for public policy students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, public policy graduates from UChicago carry an average student debt load of $16,683.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for public policy students. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Public Policy majors at Duke take out an average of $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Maryland - College Park is a great place for public policy students. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for public policy students. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
While working on their degree, public policy majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $20,375 in student debt.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, public policy majors at Princeton accumulate an average of around $10,750 in student debt.
Georgetown University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public policy programs. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Harvard University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out is $16,162. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $271.
Brandeis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public policy students. It came in at #10 on the list. Brandeis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Waltham.
The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at Brandeis take out is $25,000.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public policy programs. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Full Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles Report
Brown University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public policy programs. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at Brown take out is $13,500.
With a ranking of #14, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
While working on their degree, public policy majors at ASU - Tempe accumulate an average of around $22,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $328, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Public Policy at Arizona State University - Tempe Report
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.
Full Public Policy at The University of Texas at Austin Report
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
Full Public Policy at University of California - Berkeley Report
With a ranking of #17, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. UCR is a very large public school located in the large city of Riverside.
While working on their degree, public policy majors at UCR accumulate an average of around $19,487 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $70.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #18, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.
After completing their degree, public policy graduates from ASU - Skysong carry an average student debt load of $22,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $328, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #21, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at George Mason University
SUNY Empire State College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs, SUNY Empire is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, public policy majors at SUNY Empire accumulate an average of around $32,320 in student debt.
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University
Cornell University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Schools list. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
After completing their degree, public policy graduates from Cornell carry an average student debt load of $13,000.
With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a very large student population.
Rest of the Top Most Popular Public Policy Schools
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Public Policy Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX |
| 35 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
| 36 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 36 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 36 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 39 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 40 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 41 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL |
| 42 | Siena College | Loudonville, NY |
| 42 | Regent University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 44 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
Public Policy by Region
View the Most Popular Public Policy Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Majors Related to Public Policy
Public Policy is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 25 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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