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Best Schools for Public Policy Analysis in 2026

40 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Public Policy Analysis, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Public Policy Analysis graduate earns $46,425/yr across 40 schools.

Programs Ranked
40
Avg Earnings
$46,425/yr
Avg DW Score
46/100
AI Risk
High
54% task exposure

All Public Policy Analysis Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public 		63
59–64 		$48,252/yr 18.5x
2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Public 		62
57–62 		$49,685/yr 11.5x
3 Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit 		60
57–61 		$77,906/yr 3.1x
4 Princeton University
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit 		59
55–60 		$73,630/yr 3.1x
5 Duke University
Durham, NC · Private nonprofit 		59
54–59 		$60,501/yr 3.3x
6 Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public 		58
53–59 		$49,753/yr 12.1x
7 University of Mississippi
University, MS · Public 		57
54–57 		$40,259/yr 16.8x
8 University of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit 		56
51–57 		$60,057/yr 2.7x
9 Empire State University
Saratoga Springs, NY · Public 		56
51–57 		$52,614/yr 16.2x
10 Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA · Public 		55
52–56 		$42,215/yr 15.9x
11 St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, MD · Public 		52
49–53 		$43,629/yr 9.6x
12 Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public 		50
45–50 		$50,643/yr 8.8x
13 University of California-Riverside
Riverside, CA · Public 		49
47–50 		$39,867/yr 9.9x
14 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA · Public 		49
45–50 		$48,383/yr 9.3x
15 Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public 		48
43–48 		$51,082/yr 6.4x
16 University of Delaware
Newark, DE · Public 		47
46–48 		$36,796/yr 9.6x
17 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public 		47
43–48 		$45,642/yr 8.9x
18 Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ · Public 		46
42–47 		$49,753/yr —
19 Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA · Private nonprofit 		45
40–46 		$61,592/yr 1.4x
20 Trinity College
Hartford, CT · Private nonprofit 		44
39–45 		$56,902/yr 1.1x
21 Hamilton College
Clinton, NY · Private nonprofit 		44
39–44 		$56,158/yr 1.1x
22 Brown University
Providence, RI · Private nonprofit 		44
39–45 		$58,161/yr 1.1x
23 Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit 		44
39–45 		$57,023/yr 1.2x
24 Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public 		43
40–44 		$43,005/yr 5.7x
25 University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit 		42
38–43 		$52,403/yr 0.9x
26 The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, TX · Public 		42
38–42 		$43,837/yr 6.4x
27 William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA · Public 		42
41–42 		$36,703/yr 5.4x
28 Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit 		41
38–42 		$40,434/yr 2.0x
29 Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit 		38
34–39 		$48,558/yr 1.3x
30 Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA · Private nonprofit 		38
36–38 		$38,546/yr 3.7x
31 University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI · Public 		37
37–37 		$32,536/yr 7.5x
32 Brandeis University
Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit 		36
33–36 		$39,943/yr 1.6x
33 Washington State University
Pullman, WA · Public 		36
38–37 		$30,303/yr 9.5x
34 University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL · Public 		35
35–36 		$35,205/yr 5.1x
35 University of Redlands
Redlands, CA · Private nonprofit 		33
32–34 		$37,888/yr 0.6x
36 University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT · Public 		33
33–33 		$33,424/yr 3.8x
37 University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT · Public 		33
33–33 		$33,424/yr 3.8x
38 University of Connecticut-Stamford
Stamford, CT · Public 		33
33–33 		$33,424/yr 3.8x
39 University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Hartford, CT · Public 		33
33–33 		$33,424/yr 3.8x
40 University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT · Public 		32
32–32 		$33,424/yr 3.1x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Public Policy Analysis?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks #1 for Public Policy Analysis with a score of 63/100 and graduate earnings of $48,252/yr.
How much do Public Policy Analysis graduates earn?
Across 40 schools, Public Policy Analysis graduates earn an average of $46,425/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $77,906/yr.
Is Public Policy Analysis a good major for AI resistance?
Public Policy Analysis has an average AI task exposure of 54%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.