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

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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.

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

Check out the public administration and social service bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

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.

Virginia Tech did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

Read More…

#2

Radford University

Radford, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great value for public administration and social service students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Radford are $11,542 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Radford University

#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Out of the 15 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

On top of its placing in our value ranking, JMU also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University Report

#4

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia 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.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia State University

Out of the 15 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Norfolk State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Norfolk State are $9,622 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Norfolk State University Report

#6

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, VA

Christopher Newport University 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 #6 on the list. CNU is a small public school located in the midsize city of Newport News.

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

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Christopher Newport University Report

#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 fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at George Mason University

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

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

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Commonwealth University

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

University of Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $19,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

University of Virginia did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

Read More…

#10

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree public administration and social service programs. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at William & Mary are $23,812 a year.

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

Read More…

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

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

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

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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