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Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

15 Colleges
$17,073 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,749 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 2,154 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #15 most popular major in Virginia.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Virginia to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service 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.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a bachelor’s 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.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Virginia Tech is ranked #4 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Virginia.

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#2

Radford University

Radford, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Radford are $11,542 a year.

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#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JMU are $12,638 per year.

JMU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

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#4

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA

Out of the 15 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Virginia State is a small public school located in the suburb of Petersburg.

Virginia State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,154 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Norfolk State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value public administration and social service schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Norfolk State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,622 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#6

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, VA

With a ranking of #6, Christopher Newport University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. CNU is a small public school located in the city of Newport News.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CNU are $14,924 per year.

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#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

With a ranking of #7, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year.

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Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. VCU is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VCU are $15,028 a year.

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University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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

University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

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#10

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William & Mary are $23,812 per year.

William & Mary also made our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #5.

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Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 2,840
West Virginia 504
Mississippi 752
South Carolina 708
Florida 4,199
Arkansas 683
Alabama 1,668
Kentucky 2,072
Georgia 1,475
Tennessee 1,564
Louisiana 1,118

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

Majors Similar 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 15 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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