Best Public Administration Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
50
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$1,772
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$27,046
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
National University
Grad rate: 44.0% |
CA | +$670,731 | $85,093 | $37,116 | $31,603 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
West Texas A & M University
Grad rate: 46.1% |
TX | +$502,410 | $73,471 | $23,383 | $24,798 | Full ROI → |
| 3 | Colorado State University Global | CO | +$252,524 | $58,303 | $18,384 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$218,788 | $59,691 | $26,972 | $20,106 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
California State University-Bakersfield
Grad rate: 49.5% |
CA | +$180,920 | $54,809 | $18,815 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Grad rate: 70.4% |
LA | +$168,168 | $57,274 | $34,328 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Upper Iowa University
Grad rate: 41.8% |
IA | +$147,582 | $61,156 | $48,422 | $31,000 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Ashford University
Grad rate: 9.3% |
CA | +$142,748 | $58,095 | $30,866 | $41,250 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of La Verne
Grad rate: 64.4% |
CA | +$141,904 | $63,388 | $61,564 | $29,333 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Grad rate: 62.9% |
WI | +$140,233 | $54,579 | $18,661 | $27,187 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Western Carolina University
Grad rate: 59.8% |
NC | +$122,385 | $53,171 | $19,057 | $18,375 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Miami University-Oxford
Grad rate: 81.3% |
OH | +$115,371 | $56,949 | $37,218 | $25,731 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$92,609 | $53,502 | $27,361 | $20,731 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Barry University
Grad rate: 37.7% |
FL | +$92,227 | $58,008 | $48,300 | $25,728 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
California State University-Fullerton
Grad rate: 69.3% |
CA | +$77,073 | $50,103 | $16,767 | $13,273 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
James Madison University
Grad rate: 81.0% |
VA | +$73,403 | $53,029 | $30,213 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Kansas
Grad rate: 68.0% |
KS | +$70,200 | $50,553 | $25,215 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Florida Atlantic University
Grad rate: 63.2% |
FL | +$61,528 | $50,624 | $21,054 | $19,804 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Grad rate: 55.1% |
IN | +$29,286 | $49,595 | $22,216 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | +$25,180 | $48,377 | $25,590 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
University of Phoenix-Arizona
Grad rate: 18.7% |
AZ | +$17,928 | $49,868 | $19,449 | $45,656 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Auburn University
Grad rate: 80.0% |
AL | +$14,032 | $49,582 | $34,402 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | -$20,087 | $48,337 | $29,320 | $21,887 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Cleveland State University
Grad rate: 48.9% |
OH | -$30,300 | $45,747 | $26,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 | Walden University | MN | -$37,520 | $40,124 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Grad rate: 54.6% |
NY | -$39,446 | $43,708 | $13,712 | $13,895 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Eastern Michigan University
Grad rate: 45.5% |
MI | -$52,192 | $45,024 | $28,168 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
Grad rate: 72.8% |
NY | -$53,111 | $42,943 | $13,521 | $13,250 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | -$55,506 | $46,345 | $26,348 | $27,418 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Grad rate: 46.7% |
CA | -$60,358 | $43,352 | $15,449 | $18,965 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Syracuse University
Grad rate: 82.4% |
NY | -$66,344 | $56,517 | $80,396 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
California State University-San Bernardino
Grad rate: 54.5% |
CA | -$73,075 | $42,626 | $16,910 | $13,300 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of Central Florida
Grad rate: 75.4% |
FL | -$98,687 | $43,145 | $22,819 | $22,453 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Grad rate: 34.1% |
IN | -$118,502 | $41,519 | $19,714 | $22,242 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Florida International University
Grad rate: 71.3% |
FL | -$119,343 | $41,968 | $20,556 | $27,022 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | -$122,902 | $42,981 | $28,543 | $21,000 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Oregon
Grad rate: 72.5% |
OR | -$125,548 | $43,341 | $32,636 | $16,166 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University of Hawaii-West Oahu
Grad rate: 39.8% |
HI | -$127,570 | $40,677 | $18,190 | $21,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Northern Iowa
Grad rate: 66.3% |
IA | -$127,838 | $41,756 | $21,627 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Grad rate: 52.7% |
WI | -$135,624 | $38,851 | $18,161 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Grad rate: 52.3% |
TX | -$139,071 | $40,725 | $21,474 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Grad rate: 48.7% |
NV | -$145,700 | $38,603 | $19,440 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Kean University
Grad rate: 47.0% |
NJ | -$177,046 | $40,225 | $24,924 | $31,000 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
San Diego State University
Grad rate: 78.1% |
CA | -$185,298 | $39,219 | $27,357 | $15,000 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Grad rate: 70.5% |
WI | -$193,935 | $37,310 | $18,115 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Flagler College
Grad rate: 56.5% |
FL | -$195,560 | $42,019 | $41,734 | $21,485 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Indian River State College
Grad rate: 44.4% |
FL | -$213,836 | $33,661 | $11,764 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Grand Valley State University
Grad rate: 67.4% |
MI | -$238,102 | $37,145 | $26,578 | $25,697 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Southern Technical College
Grad rate: 49.7% |
FL | -$244,496 | $35,365 | $27,949 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
The University of Texas at Dallas
Grad rate: 70.2% |
TX | -$248,847 | $36,412 | $28,210 | $17,961 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Public Administration Degrees by State
Browse Public Administration programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.