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Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts

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2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$40,657 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$53,148 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Policy School for You

Public Policy is the #36 most popular major in Massachusetts with 425 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Massachusetts to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public policy 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 Policy Schools in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for public policy majors pursuing a .

Best Massachusetts Schools for Affordable Quality in Public Policy

$11,675 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Salem State University the best value school in Massachusetts for public policy students. Salem State is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Salem.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Salem State are $11,675 a year.

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#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
$55,587 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harvard are $55,587 per year.

Harvard also took the #2 spot in our Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts rankings.

Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard University

$14,677 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Boston, UMass Boston is a public college with a large student population.

UMass Boston undergraduate students pay an average of $14,677 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Massachusetts - Boston

#4

Simmons University

Boston, MA
$43,062 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Simmons University is a great value for public policy students. Simmons is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

Simmons undergraduate students pay an average of $43,062 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Policy at Simmons University

$16,439 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMass Amherst are $16,439 per year.

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#6

Boston University

Boston, MA
$59,816 Average Tuition & Fees

Boston University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public policy programs. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Boston U undergraduate students pay an average of $59,816 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Boston U also did well on our Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#7

Suffolk University

Boston, MA
$41,648 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Suffolk University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. Located in the large city of Boston, Suffolk is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Suffolk are $41,648 per year.

Full Public Policy at Suffolk University Report

#8

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA
$60,006 Average Tuition & Fees

Brandeis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brandeis are $60,006 per year.

Full Public Policy at Brandeis University Report

#9

Tufts University

Medford, MA
$63,000 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Tufts University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public policy students. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Medford.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tufts are $63,000 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Tufts is ranked #3 for overall quality for public policy in Massachusetts.

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Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Policy Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 81
Rhode Island 66
New Hampshire 23
Maine 27
Vermont 8

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public policy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Public Policy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 9 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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