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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

50 Colleges
$16,042 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,462 Avg Salary

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.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 50 schools in the Southwest Region 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#2

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX
$4,440 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Tyler Junior College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in the Southwest Region . Tyler Junior College is a large public school located in the city of Tyler.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Tyler Junior College take out $14,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#3

San Juan College

Farmington, NM
$4,546 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Juan College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. SJC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Farmington.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SJC are $4,546 a year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at SJC take out is $10,000.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Austin Community College District. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

Austin Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $10,590 in tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Austin Community College District take out $13,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Austin Community College District is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.

ASU - Skysong undergraduate students pay an average of $13,092 in tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $24,547 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 $261.

ASU - Skysong also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. UOPX - Arizona is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.

UOPX - Arizona undergraduate students pay an average of $9,552 in tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from UOPX - Arizona take out $44,022 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $132.

UOPX - Arizona excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list.

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Ottawa University - Phoenix ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Ottawa University - Phoenix is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ottawa University - Phoenix are $13,281 per year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Ottawa University - Phoenix carry an average student debtload of $43,673.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ottawa University - Phoenix also is in the top 20% of our Best Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

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$11,208 Average Tuition & Fees

West Texas A&M University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 a year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at West Texas A&M University take out an average of $26,185 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, TX
$11,726 Average Tuition & Fees

MSU Texas ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Wichita Falls, MSU Texas is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU Texas are $11,726 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from MSU Texas carry an average student debtload of $34,000.

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$15,755 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Northeastern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. NSU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Tahlequah.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NSU are $15,755 per year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at NSU take out is $30,816.

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Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges by State

Explore the best public administration and social service schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 4,076
Texas 5,592
New Mexico 495
Oklahoma 520

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 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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