Majors
Best Colleges for Public Policy Analysis, by Earnings
90 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Public Policy Analysis, about 2,389 degrees a year. Across the 29 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $71,723 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University | NY | $126,767 | 44 | 8.8% |
| 2 | Princeton University | NJ | $107,792 | 114 | 4.6% |
| 3 | Duke University | NC | $103,071 | 144 | 5.7% |
| 4 | Brown University | RI | $94,962 | 15 | 5.4% |
| 5 | University of Chicago | IL | $94,237 | 90 | 4.5% |
| 6 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $91,265 | 28 | 5.9% |
| 7 | University of Mississippi | MS | $85,338 | 56 | 96.6% |
| 8 | Trinity College | CT | $82,638 | 39 | 29.3% |
| 9 | Northwestern University | IL | $78,752 | 36 | 7.7% |
| 10 | Brandeis University | MA | $75,580 | 101 | 40.5% |
| 11 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $74,865 | 14 | 58.1% |
| 12 | University of Southern California | CA | $74,511 | 41 | 9.8% |
| 13 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | $74,403 | 157 | 15.3% |
| 14 | University of Michigan | MI | $73,749 | 77 | 15.6% |
| 15 | Arizona State University | AZ | $71,723 | 96 | 89.9% |
| 16 | University of Redlands | CA | $70,080 | 17 | 82.7% |
| 17 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | MD | $69,232 | 12 | 68.6% |
| 18 | College of William & Mary | VA | $69,118 | 48 | 34.1% |
| 19 | The University of Texas at Dallas | TX | $66,209 | 26 | 65.1% |
| 20 | Virginia Tech | VA | $66,177 | 54 | 54.8% |
| 21 | Ohio State University | OH | $65,894 | 32 | 60.6% |
| 22 | University of Delaware | DE | $65,776 | 40 | 70.6% |
| 23 | University of Connecticut | CT | $64,389 | 23 | 52.4% |
| 24 | Washington State University | WA | $63,631 | 5 | 86.6% |
| 25 | Regent University | VA | $60,776 | 20 | 38.1% |
| 26 | Michigan State University | MI | $58,535 | 19 | 84.8% |
| 27 | University of California-Riverside | CA | $58,504 | 87 | 76.4% |
| 28 | Georgia State University | GA | $56,842 | 38 | 55.4% |
| 29 | University of Rhode Island | RI | $51,697 | 28 | 72.2% |
61 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Public Policy Analysis graduates?
Cornell University ($126,767), Princeton University ($107,792), Duke University ($103,071), Brown University ($94,962), University of Chicago ($94,237) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Public Policy Analysis majors make?
The median across 29 colleges is $71,723 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $51,697 to $126,767.
Which colleges have the biggest Public Policy Analysis programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (157), Duke University (144), Princeton University (114), University of California-Los Angeles (111), University of Maryland (108).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Public Policy Analysis". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
