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Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia

29 Colleges
$41,798 Avg Salary
$27,601 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 29 schools in Virginia to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Administration & Social Service program at each school on the list.

Check out the public administration and social service programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Virginia.

#1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at Liberty University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $369, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Commonwealth University is a great place for public administration and social service students. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at VCU accumulate an average of around $24,497 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $125.

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

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

Out of the 29 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 3 spot on the list. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

On average, public administration and social service graduates from GMU take out $21,247 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at George Mason University Report

The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at University of Virginia take out is $21,000.

Read More…

#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Out of the 29 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $21,184 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $326.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University Report

#6

Radford University

Radford, VA

With a ranking of #6, Radford University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Radford take out is $27,000.

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Norfolk State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Norfolk State take out is $44,560. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $144, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Norfolk State University Report

#8

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Tech

#9

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public administration and social service programs. Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Public Administration & Social Service majors at Regent take out an average of $25,800 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from William & Mary carry an average student debt load of $23,250.

Read More…

Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 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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