by our College Data Analytics Team
[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 47 schools on the early-career earnings of their public policy graduates.
What’s on this page:
Where you study public policy affects what graduates go on to earn. That is why we built our Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its public policy graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates list, to help you choose. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
Below are the schools whose public policy graduates go on to earn the most.
Our analysis ranked University Of California Berkeley the top school for public policy graduate earnings in the United States. University Of California Berkeley is a public school located in the city of Berkeley. Early-career public policy graduates from University Of California Berkeley make a median of around $116,708 per year.
A rank of #2 makes Harvard University one of the highest-paying schools for public policy. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge. Early-career public policy graduates from Harvard University make a median of around $134,992 per year.
Johns Hopkins University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in public policy, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $97,034.
Princeton University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in public policy, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of Princeton, Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public policy graduates from Princeton University make a median of around $112,516 per year.
University Of Chicago came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public policy schools. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of about $118,011 a year early in their careers.
1
2
3
4
5
Duke University earned the #6 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from Duke University typically earn about $109,232 annually.
Georgetown University landed the #7 spot for public policy salaries this year. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of Georgetown University earn a median of about $111,540 a year early in their careers.
College Of William And Mary placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for public policy. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, College Of William And Mary is a public institution. Public Policy graduates of College Of William And Mary earn a median of about $90,573 a year early in their careers.
George Washington University placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for public policy. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of George Washington University earn a median of about $111,576 a year early in their careers.
George Mason University earned the #10 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. George Mason University is a public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from George Mason University typically earn about $112,560 annually.
University Of Virginia Main Campus landed the #11 spot for public policy salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a public institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $110,885.
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor placed #12 among the highest-paying schools for public policy. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $102,690.
American University landed the #13 spot for public policy salaries this year. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public policy graduates from American University make a median of around $107,080 per year.
University Of California Los Angeles landed the #14 spot for public policy salaries this year. Located in the city of Los Angeles, University Of California Los Angeles is a public institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from University Of California Los Angeles typically earn about $103,568 annually.
University Of Maryland College Park earned the #15 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of College Park, University Of Maryland College Park is a public institution. Early-career public policy graduates from University Of Maryland College Park make a median of around $102,679 per year.
The New School landed the #16 spot for public policy salaries this year. The New School is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $93,060.
University Of Southern California earned the #17 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Los Angeles, University Of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public policy graduates from University Of Southern California make a median of around $99,619 per year.
The University Of Texas At Austin earned the #18 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Austin, The University Of Texas At Austin is a public institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $84,462.
Brown University earned the #19 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Providence, Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of Brown University earn a median of about $99,422 a year early in their careers.
Brandeis University earned the #20 position for public policy graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from Brandeis University typically earn about $91,095 annually.
Pepperdine University placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for public policy. Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of Pepperdine University earn a median of about $90,495 a year early in their careers.
University Of Wisconsin Madison came in at #22 for public policy graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $81,260.
Vanderbilt University placed #23 among the highest-paying schools for public policy. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from Vanderbilt University typically earn about $81,298 annually.
University Of Washington Bothell Campus came in at #24 for public policy graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Bothell, University Of Washington Bothell Campus is a public institution. Public Policy graduates of University Of Washington Bothell Campus earn a median of about $81,743 a year early in their careers.
University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public policy schools. University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a public school located in the suburb of North Dartmouth. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $67,722.
These schools also send public policy graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public policy graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 47 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.