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Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor's Degree Schools

2023 Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor's Degree Schools

108 Colleges
$38,098 Avg Salary
$21,866 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Policy Bachelor's Degree 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 108 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree 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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our analysis found Duke University to be the most popular school for public policy students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

Women make up 56% of the public policy majors at the school.

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Out of the 108 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the # 2 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Women make up 69% of the public policy majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public policy majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $14,964 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $271.

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#3

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Out of the 108 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 58% of the public policy majors at the school.

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#4

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Brandeis University is a great place for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham.

Of the 113 students majoring in public policy at Brandeis, 18% are male and 82% are female.

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#5

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 63% of the students majoring in public policy at the school are women while 37% are male.

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With a ranking of #6, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the city of Tempe.

Women make up 51% of the public policy majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that public policy majors at ASU - Tempe take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,530. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $328, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #7, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. UCR is a fairly large public school located in the city of Riverside.

Of the 91 students majoring in public policy at UCR, 29% are male and 71% are female.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $70.

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With a ranking of #8, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 70% of the public policy majors at the school.

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#9

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, NY

SUNY Empire State College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs, SUNY Empire is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 83 students majoring in public policy at SUNY Empire, 67% are male and 33% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public policy majors at SUNY Empire accumulate an average of around $31,478 in student debt.

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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

Women make up 60% of the public policy majors at the school.

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Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.

Women make up 44% of the public policy majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, public policy graduates from ASU - Skysong carry an average student debt load of $23,530. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $328, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#12

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

With a ranking of #12, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 64% of the students majoring in public policy at the school are women while 36% are male.

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#13

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.

Women make up 67% of the public policy majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public policy majors at Cornell accumulate an average of around $12,903 in student debt.

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#14

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 68 students majoring in public policy at Brown, 40% are male and 60% are female.

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With a ranking of #15, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public policy students working on their bachelor’s degree. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

About 75% of the students majoring in public policy at the school are women while 25% are male.

Full Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles Report

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#16

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public policy students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 58% of the public policy majors at the school.

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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 Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
17 University of Mississippi University, MS
18 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
19 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
20 University of Delaware Newark, DE
21 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
21 Siena College Loudonville, NY

Public Policy by Region

View the Most Popular Public Policy Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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