2026 Most Popular Public Policy Schools
There are 248 colleges that offer a degree in Public Policy. Learn more about the most popular schools below:
Finding the Best Public Policy School for You
Today’s Public Policy students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick-and-mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school halfway across the country without even leaving your house.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 248 schools in the United States offering Public Policy programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Public Policy Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for Public Policy majors.
Top 25 Most Popular Public Policy Schools
The most popular school in the United States for Public Policy students is Duke University. Located in Durham, NC, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 278 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $74,497. Read full report on Public Policy at Duke University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school located in Ann Arbor, MI. During the most recent year for which we have data, 235 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,597. Read More…
Princeton University comes in at #3 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Located in Princeton, NJ, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 227 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $72,064. Read More…
University of Maryland-College Park comes in at #4 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. University of Maryland-College Park is a public school located in College Park, MD. This school awarded 224 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $56,509. Read More…
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #5 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school located in Chapel Hill, NC. This school awarded 198 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $51,058. Read More…
University of Southern California landed the #6 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. University of Southern California is a private nonprofit school located in Los Angeles, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 191 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $63,275. Read More…
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in Charlottesville, VA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 189 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $64,471. Read More…
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #8 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in Madison, WI, this is a public institution. This school awarded 188 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,379. Full Public Policy at University of Wisconsin-Madison Report
University of California-Los Angeles landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school located in Los Angeles, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 175 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,763. Full Public Policy at University of California-Los Angeles Report
Harvard University landed the #10 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in Cambridge, MA, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 170 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $92,518. Full Public Policy at Harvard University Report
Brandeis University landed the #11 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Brandeis University is a private nonprofit school located in Waltham, MA. This school awarded 160 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,493. Full Public Policy at Brandeis University Report
University of Chicago comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Located in Chicago, IL, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 152 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $77,119. Full Public Policy at University of Chicago Report
The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #13 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. The University of Texas at Austin is a public school located in Austin, TX. This school awarded 123 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $51,060. Read More…
University of California-Berkeley comes in at #14 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Located in Berkeley, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 123 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $57,445. Read More…
Arizona State University Digital Immersion comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Arizona State University Digital Immersion is a public school located in Scottsdale, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 119 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,210. Read full report on Public Policy at Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Liberty University landed the #16 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Liberty University is a private nonprofit school located in Lynchburg, VA. This school awarded 118 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,414. Read full report on Public Policy at Liberty University
Arizona State University Campus Immersion landed the #17 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a public school located in Tempe, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 113 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,210. Full Public Policy at Arizona State University Campus Immersion Report
University of California-Riverside landed the #18 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Located in Riverside, CA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 108 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $33,932. Full Public Policy at University of California-Riverside Report
American University comes in at #19 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. American University is a private nonprofit school located in Washington, DC. This school awarded 98 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $50,329. Full Public Policy at American University Report
George Mason University comes in at #20 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Located in Fairfax, VA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 89 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $55,366. Read full report on Public Policy at George Mason University
Georgetown University comes in at #21 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Georgetown University is a private nonprofit school located in Washington, DC. During the most recent year for which we have data, 86 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $76,027. Full Public Policy at Georgetown University Report
Cornell University comes in at #22 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. Cornell University is a private nonprofit school located in Ithaca, NY. This school awarded 79 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $70,710. Full Public Policy at Cornell University Report
George Washington University comes in at #23 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. George Washington University is a private nonprofit school located in Washington, DC. During the most recent year for which we have data, 71 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $66,952. Read full report on Public Policy at George Washington University
University of California-San Diego comes in at #24 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Public Policy majors. University of California-San Diego is a public school located in La Jolla, CA. This school awarded 67 degrees in Public Policy in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,612. Full Public Policy at University of California-San Diego Report
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public school located in Atlanta, GA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 64 people earned their degree in Public Policy from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $87,556. Full Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Report
Rest of the Top Most Popular Public Policy Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.
Public Policy by Region
View the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Public Policy Rankings
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the Most Popular Public Policy Schools ranking, along with other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Majors Related to Public Policy
Public Policy Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Public Policy Analysis | 5,419 |
| Health Policy Analysis | 301 |
| International Policy Analysis | 276 |
| Education Policy Analysis | 104 |
| Other Public Policy Analysis | 83 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,176 |
| Public Administration | 13,993 |
| Human Services | 11,674 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 2,651 |
| Other Public Administration | 518 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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