2023 Best Public & Social Service Schools
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You
Public Administration & Social Service is the #14 most popular major in the country with 98,583 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Public & Social Service Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 661 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Public & Social Service
Our 2023 rankings named Princeton University the best school in the United States for public administration and social service students. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Princeton.
Public Administration & Social Service majors at Princeton take out an average of $10,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in the United States. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, public administration and social service graduates from UC Berkeley take out $13,045 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools list. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for public administration and social service students. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Duke accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
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Cornell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, public administration and social service graduates from Cornell take out $13,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #7, Elizabethtown College did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Etown carry an average student debtload of $38,426.
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Northwestern University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools ranking. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Northwestern take out is $16,780.
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Georgetown University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools ranking. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
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University of South Dakota ranked #10 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.
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York County Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools ranking. York County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Wells.
The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at York County Community College take out is $11,044.
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With a ranking of #12, Bethel University Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Paul.
The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Bethel University Minnesota take out is $27,000.
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Winona State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Winona State accumulate an average of around $28,389 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $144.
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University of Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UChicago carry an average student debtload of $16,683.
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With a ranking of #15, Minot State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.
Public Administration & Social Service majors at MSU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #16, Delaware Technical Community College - Terry did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the small city of Dover, Delaware Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, public administration and social service graduates from Delaware Tech take out $10,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Brown University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Public & Social Service Schools ranking. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence.
After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Brown carry an average student debtload of $13,500.
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With a ranking of #18, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Bemidji State University accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at Bemidji State University Report
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St Catherine University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Located in the city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from St. Kate's carry an average student debtload of $36,625.
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Mount Wachusett Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Schools list. Located in the rural area of Gardner, MWCC is a public college with a small student population.
Public Administration & Social Service majors at MWCC take out an average of $7,010 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Loma Linda University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Public Administration & Social Service majors at MSU Moorhead take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #23, University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well on this year’s best schools for public administration and social service students. UMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baltimore.
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Nebraska Wesleyan University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Lincoln, NWU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from NWU carry an average student debtload of $29,750.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public administration and social service programs. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UW - River Falls take out is $28,000.
Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Public & Social Service Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 661 different United States public administration and social service schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public & Social Service Schools award.
Public Administration & Social Service by Region
View the Best Public & Social Service Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings
Public Administration & Social Service Related Rankings by Major
Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,326 |
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Public Administration & Social Service
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 142,610 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 University of the Fraser Valley.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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