2025 Best Colleges in Public Affairs Study
By school types, there are 13 public schools and 12 private schools in the best Public Affairs colleges. Indiana University-Bloomington ranked first and Syracuse University ranked second.
The 2025 average tuition & fees of the best colleges in Public Affairs study is $31,234 for state residents and $52,772 for out-of-state students. The average acceptance rate is 33.31% and the average SAT score is 1,429.The average number of students is 38,154 and the average student to faculty ratio is 13 to 1.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $52,772 and University of Southern California has the highest tuition & fees of $71,647 and Georgia State University has the lowest tuition & fees of $24,840.
- The average graduate tuition & fees is $43,561 and University of Southern California has the highest tuition & fees of $71,515 and The University of Texas at Austin has the lowest tuition & fees of $22,954.
- The average SAT score is 1,429 and Harvard University has the highest SAT score of 1,550 and Georgia State University has the lowest score of 1,060.
- The average acceptance rate is 33.31% and Harvard University has the tightest (lowest) rate of 4% and University of Kansas has the loosest (lowest) rate of 93%.
- The average student population is 38,154 and Arizona State University Campus Immersion has the most students of 79,818 and Princeton University has the fewest students of 9,137.
- The average graduation rate is 86.96% and Harvard University has the highest rate of 98% and Georgia State University has the lowest rate of 53%.
2025 Best Colleges in Public Affairs Study
The following table lists the best colleges in Public Affairs programs. The "-" value in other columns means that the corresponding data has not been reported or the school does not have programs for the values.
You can sort the table by column by clicking/touching column titles and narrow down the college list by using buttons below.
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public, 4 years | $41,891 | $33,454 | 1,290 | 78.2% | 48,424 | 80% | 18 to 1 |
| 2 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private, 4 years | $65,528 | $48,132 | 1,360 | 45.9% | 22,589 | 84% | 15 to 1 |
| 3 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private, 4 years | $61,676 | $57,248 | 1,550 | 3.7% | 30,259 | 98% | 7 to 1 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public, 4 years | $47,265 | $30,968 | - | 11.0% | 45,882 | 93% | 18 to 1 |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public, 4 years | $63,081 | $57,776 | 1,460 | 15.6% | 52,855 | 93% | 11 to 1 |
| 6 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private, 4 years | $71,647 | $71,515 | 1,500 | 9.8% | 46,566 | 92% | 9 to 1 |
| 7 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public, 4 years | $31,688 | $29,774 | 1,370 | 37.7% | 43,146 | 90% | 17 to 1 |
| 8 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private, 4 years | $69,324 | $68,652 | 1,550 | 4.5% | 18,566 | 96% | 5 to 1 |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public, 4 years | $43,209 | $32,811 | - | 39.2% | 56,997 | 85% | 20 to 1 |
| 10 | American University Washington, DC Private, 4 years | $58,771 | $36,754 | 1,370 | 62.0% | 12,321 | 75% | 10 to 1 |
| 11 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public, 4 years | $33,139 | $27,521 | - | 89.9% | 79,818 | 68% | 18 to 1 |
| 12 | Georgetown University Washington, DC Private, 4 years | $68,089 | $61,670 | 1,490 | 12.9% | 20,031 | 95% | 11 to 1 |
| 13 | George Washington University Washington, DC Private, 4 years | $67,710 | $36,414 | 1,430 | 47.1% | 25,374 | 84% | 13 to 1 |
| 14 | New York University New York, NY Private, 4 years | $62,796 | $42,726 | 1,520 | 9.2% | 56,832 | 88% | 8 to 1 |
| 15 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private, 4 years | $62,688 | $65,936 | 1,550 | 4.6% | 9,137 | 98% | 5 to 1 |
| 16 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public, 4 years | $46,121 | $29,578 | - | 9.0% | 47,335 | 93% | 20 to 1 |
| 17 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public, 4 years | $38,362 | $33,249 | 1,410 | 79.8% | 56,666 | 85% | 17 to 1 |
| 18 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public, 4 years | $44,908 | $22,954 | 1,390 | 26.6% | 53,864 | 89% | 18 to 1 |
| 19 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private, 4 years | $65,636 | $50,975 | 1,540 | 11.7% | 15,888 | 94% | 5 to 1 |
| 20 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH Public, 4 years | $40,022 | $42,740 | 1,400 | 60.6% | 61,443 | 88% | 16 to 1 |
| 21 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public, 4 years | $41,203 | $31,408 | 1,480 | 15.3% | 32,438 | 91% | 15 to 1 |
| 22 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private, 4 years | $70,517 | $57,973 | 1,550 | 4.0% | 35,173 | 96% | 6 to 1 |
| 23 | Duke University Durham, NC Private, 4 years | $68,758 | $66,523 | 1,540 | 5.7% | 17,499 | 97% | 5 to 1 |
| 24 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public, 4 years | $24,840 | $25,116 | 1,060 | 55.4% | 34,944 | 53% | 25 to 1 |
| 25 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public, 4 years | $30,432 | $27,146 | 1,190 | 93.5% | 29,792 | 69% | 18 to 1 |
| Average | $52,772 | $43,561 | 1,429 | 33.3% | 38,154 | 87% | 13 to 1 |