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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Michigan

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Michigan

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$17,663 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,749 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Public Administration & Social Service is one of the most popular subjects to study in Michigan. With 1,815 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 5th out of all the majors we track in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Michigan to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Michigan to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Michigan

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

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

#1

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, MI
$31,080 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Spring Arbor University to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in Michigan. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spring Arbor.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spring Arbor are $31,080 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Spring Arbor University

#2

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI
$13,188 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Ferris State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Michigan. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ferris are $13,188 a year.

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

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Ferris State University

#3

Saginaw Valley State University

University Center, MI
$11,130 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Saginaw Valley State University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of University Center.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saginaw Valley State University are $11,130 per year.

Read More…

$13,206 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northern Michigan University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Marquette.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northern Michigan University are $13,206 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Northern Michigan University Report

#5

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Central Michigan University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Michigan. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a large student population.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$13,900 Average Tuition & Fees

Grand Valley State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. GVSU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Allendale.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GVSU are $13,900 per year.

Read More…

$17,193 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. U-M is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.

U-M undergraduate students pay an average of $17,193 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, U-M is ranked #1 for overall quality for public administration and social service in Michigan.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

$12,322 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Michigan - Flint 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. Located in the city of Flint, UM Flint is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UM Flint are $12,322 a year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Michigan - Flint Report

$13,434 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Michigan 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 #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public school with a large student population.

WMU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,434 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Western Michigan University

$13,816 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of Michigan - Dearborn did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Dearborn.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UM Dearborn are $13,816 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 2,690
Indiana 1,347
Ohio 1,347
Wisconsin 532

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Related Major Annual Graduates
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 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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