Best Public Administration Schools Near Norristown, PA (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Norristown, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs. Norristown has a population of about 35,782. Median household income is $65,058 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $121,630 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Norristown

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Norristown, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Norristown city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Norristown. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Villanova University

Villanova, PA 5.9 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $100,423
Avg net price $43,756/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 94

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Manor College

Jenkintown, PA 12.7 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,825
Avg net price $13,078/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 48%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA 14.1 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $111,371
Avg net price $28,699/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 188

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, PA 18.0 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,258
Avg net price $23,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Widener University

Chester, PA 18.0 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,920
Avg net price $25,759/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Strayer University-Pennsylvania

Trevose, PA 19.9 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
18.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Tuition
In‑state$13,920
Out‑of‑state$13,920
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, PA 35.7 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,775
Avg net price $21,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

Middletown, PA 74.2 miles from Norristown
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
41.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $23,330/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,972
Out‑of‑state$26,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Norristown

Norristown is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$80,810Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$78,762
Urban and Regional Planner$83,750Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$81,628
General and Operations Manager$121,630Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$118,548
Management Analyst$100,920Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$98,363

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Norristown at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population35,782Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$65,058Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+23.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)102.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Norristown-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Norristown, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Norristown. The closest is Villanova University in Villanova, PA (5.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is West Chester University of Pennsylvania (18.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Norristown?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Norristown are: General and Operations Manager ($121,630), Management Analyst ($100,920), Urban and Regional Planner ($83,750). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Philadelphia instead of Norristown?

Philadelphia, PA is 13.5 miles from Norristown and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Norristown an affordable place to study public administration?

Norristown’s median household income of $65,058 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Norristown while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Norristown

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Norristown:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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