Indiana University-Bloomington ranked first in the Best Public Affairs Colleges rankings, followed by Syracuse University and Harvard University.
The average tuition & fees of Best Public Affairs Colleges is $13,012 for in-state and $52,772 for out-of-state students for the academic year 2024-2025.
University of Southern California has the highest tuition & fees of $71,647 and Georgia State University has the lowest tuition & fees of $24,840 among Best Public Affairs Colleges. For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees of the schools is $15,052 for in-state and $43,561 for out-of-state students.
The average acceptance rate is 33.31% and the SAT score is 1429 for the Best Public Affairs Colleges. Their acceptance rate is relatively low, making it somewhat difficult to get into the schools, and the SAT score is high.
| Rank | School Name | Undergraduate Tuition | Graduate Tuition | Acceptance Rate | SAT/ACT Scores | Student Population | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington, IN | $41,891 ($12,144) $1,409 ($354) | $33,454 ($11,756) $44 ($145) | 78.21% -2.16% | 1,290 SAT 30 ACT 10 /0 | 48,424 897 | 80% -1% |
| 2 | Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY | $65,528 $2,467 | $48,132 $1,814 | 45.92% 4.23% | 1,360 SAT 31 ACT 20 /1 | 22,589 -359 | 84% 3% |
| 3 | Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA | $61,676 $2,600 | $57,248 $1,808 | 3.65% 0.20% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 30,259 -127 | 98% 1% |
| 4 | University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | $47,265 ($15,377) $1,638 ($527) | $30,968 ($15,866) $605 ($605) | 10.98% -0.68% | - | 45,882 183 | 93% 1% |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI | $63,081 ($18,848) $2,974 ($539) | $57,776 ($28,886) $2,724 ($1,362) | 15.64% -2.30% | 1,460 SAT 33 ACT -10 /0 | 52,855 790 | 93% |
| 6 | University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA | $71,647 $3,410 | $71,515 $3,387 | 9.81% -0.21% | 1,500 SAT 33 ACT -10 /0 | 46,566 -581 | 92% 1% |
| 7 | University of GeorgiaAthens, GA | $31,688 ($11,450) $1,468 ($270) | $29,774 ($11,002) $3,198 ($734) | 37.70% 0.50% | 1,370 SAT 32 ACT 100 /3 | 43,146 1,531 | 90% 3% |
| 8 | University of ChicagoChicago, IL | $69,324 $3,705 | $68,652 $2,109 | 4.48% -0.31% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 18,566 227 | 96% 2% |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WA | $43,209 ($12,973) $1,212 ($330) | $32,811 ($18,792) $300 ($159) | 39.15% -3.38% | - | 56,997 1,377 | 85% 2% |
| 10 | American UniversityWashington, DC | $58,771 $2,228 | $36,754 $3,515 | 61.96% 14.58% | 1,370 SAT 31 ACT -10 /0 | 12,321 -698 | 75% -3% |
| 11 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempe, AZ | $33,139 ($12,223) $946 ($172) | $27,521 ($13,587) $786 ($198) | 89.89% -0.30% | - | 79,818 225 | 68% 1% |
| 12 | Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC | $68,089 $3,008 | $61,670 $2,364 | 12.91% -0.17% | 1,490 SAT 33 ACT -10 /0 | 20,031 -361 | 95% 1% |
| 13 | George Washington UniversityWashington, DC | $67,710 $2,912 | $36,414 $1,260 | 47.09% 3.55% | 1,430 SAT 32 ACT0 /0 | 25,374 -194 | 84% -1% |
| 14 | New York UniversityNew York, NY | $62,796 $2,358 | $42,726 $1,602 | 9.23% -0.18% | 1,520 SAT 34 ACT -10 /0 | 56,832 -503 | 88% |
| 15 | Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ | $62,688 $2,978 | $65,936 $3,076 | 4.62% 0.12% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT 10 /1 | 9,137 215 | 98% 1% |
| 16 | University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA | $46,121 ($14,233) $1,597 ($486) | $29,578 ($14,476) $593 ($593) | 8.97% 0.24% | - | 47,335 657 | 93% 1% |
| 17 | University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN | $38,362 ($17,214) $1,960 ($726) | $33,249 ($22,017) $1,694 ($926) | 79.75% 2.72% | 1,410 SAT 29 ACT 10 /0 | 56,666 1,776 | 85% 1% |
| 18 | The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX | $44,908 ($11,688) $2,130 ($10) | $22,954 ($12,006) | 26.64% -2.48% | 1,390 SAT 31 ACT 20 /0 | 53,864 782 | 89% 2% |
| 19 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA | $65,636 $2,362 | $50,975 $1,525 | 11.66% 0.26% | 1,540 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 15,888 292 | 94% 2% |
| 20 | Ohio State University-Main CampusColumbus, OH | $40,022 ($13,244) $1,657 ($385) | $42,740 ($13,901) $1,513 ($404) | 60.57% 9.75% | 1,400 SAT 30 ACT0 /-1 | 61,443 1,397 | 88% 1% |
| 21 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC | $41,203 ($8,994) $1,873 ($5) | $31,408 ($12,751) $589 ($224) | 15.34% -3.40% | 1,480 SAT 31 ACT 10 /-1 | 32,438 204 | 91% -1% |
| 22 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY | $70,517 $2,346 | $57,973 $1,694 | 3.99% -0.24% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT 10 /0 | 35,173 -106 | 96% 2% |
| 23 | Duke UniversityDurham, NC | $68,758 $2,953 | $66,523 $2,538 | 5.71% -1.07% | 1,540 SAT 35 ACT -10 /1 | 17,499 387 | 97% 2% |
| 24 | Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA | $24,840 ($8,664) $1,131 ($186) | $25,116 ($8,664) $1,134 ($180) | 55.44% -6.84% | 1,060 SAT 22 ACT -100 /0 | 34,944 -30 | 53% |
| 25 | University of KansasLawrence, KS | $30,432 ($12,102) $1,020 ($402) | $27,146 ($11,971) $910 ($397) | 93.48% 5.28% | 1,190 SAT 24 ACT 30 /0 | 29,792 1,386 | 69% 1% |
| Average | $52,772 ($13,012) | $43,561 ($15,052) | 33% | 1,429 | 38,154 | 87% |