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Best Value Public Administration Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$17,073 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,932 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration School for You

Public Administration is the #17 most popular major in California with 1,533 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.

The Best Value Public Administration Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for public admin 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. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Public Administration Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Public Administration Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Administration Schools

$7,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for public administration students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Administration Schools in California ranking.

Full Public Administration at San Jose State University Report

$6,653 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the # 2 spot on the list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno.

Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the # 3 spot on the list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Northridge

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Sacramento helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration schools in California. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Sacramento

$7,579 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Bakersfield is a great value for public administration students. Located in the large city of Bakersfield, CSUB is a public college with a large student population.

CSUB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,579 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration at California State University - Bakersfield Report

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year.

Full Public Administration at California State University - Long Beach Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #7 on the list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $7,304 per year.

Read More…

$7,060 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public college with a large student population.

CSUDH undergraduate students pay an average of $7,060 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration at California State University - Dominguez Hills Report

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration students. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $6,995 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - East Bay

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.

Full Public Administration at California State University - Fullerton Report

Best Value Public Administration Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 287
Oregon 62
Nevada 78
Hawaii 41
Alaska 34

Public Administration is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 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 The Official CTBTO Photostream.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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