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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$12,908 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$37,139 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,668 degrees and certificates were awarded to public administration and social service students who went to a Alabama college or university. This makes it the #12 most popular major in the state.

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 11 schools in Alabama to see which ones offered the best value programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL
$5,775 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Columbia Southern University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Alabama. Located in the fringe town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia Southern University are $5,775 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Columbia Southern University is ranked #1 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Alabama.

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$10,620 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Alabama. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama list. UNA is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Florence.

UNA undergraduate students pay an average of $10,620 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at UNA accumulate an average of around $31,061 in student debt.

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$8,568 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Alabama at Birmingham helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Alabama. Located in the medium-sized city of Birmingham, UAB is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UAB are $8,568 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at UAB take out is $27,250.

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$8,756 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Alabama. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama list. Located in the midsize city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USA are $8,756 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at USA take out is $31,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $226.

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#5

Troy University

Troy, AL
$9,312 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Troy University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Alabama. Located in the remote town of Troy, TROY is a public school with a fairly large student population.

TROY undergraduate students pay an average of $9,312 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from TROY take out $33,544 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#6

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
$11,826 Average Tuition & Fees

Auburn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Auburn, Auburn is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Auburn are $11,826 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Auburn carry an average student debtload of $23,337.

Auburn not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama list.

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#7

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville, AL
$11,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Jacksonville State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Located in the suburb of Jacksonville, Jacksonville State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Jacksonville State University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,120 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Jacksonville State University take out $28,510 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#8

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL
$11,620 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Alabama did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #8 on the list. UA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tuscaloosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UA are $11,620 a year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from UA take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UA is ranked #5 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Alabama.

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#9

Alabama State University

Montgomery, AL
$11,068 Average Tuition & Fees

Alabama State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Alabama ranking. Located in the midsize city of Montgomery, Alabama State is a public college with a small student population.

Alabama State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,068 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Alabama State take out $43,048 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $137.

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$10,024 Average Tuition & Fees

Alabama A & M University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. AAMU is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at AAMU are $10,024 per year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from AAMU carry an average student debtload of $39,000.

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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
Mississippi 752
South Carolina 708
Florida 4,199
Virginia 2,154
Arkansas 683
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

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 11 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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