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Best Public Policy Schools Near Tuscaloosa, AL (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Tuscaloosa, Alabama is home to about 114,288 residents. In Alabama, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $129,960 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Tuscaloosa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Tuscaloosa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Tuscaloosa 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Tuscaloosa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama public policy page.
Public Policy Wages Near Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa is part of the Tuscaloosa, AL metro area (BLS area code 46220). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
AL statewide
–
Management Analysts
$99,190
Tuscaloosa, AL
$113,101
Economists
$129,960
AL statewide
$148,187
Social and Community Service Managers
$71,250
Tuscaloosa, AL
$81,243
Survey Researchers
N/A
AL statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$69,950
Tuscaloosa, AL
$79,761
General and Operations Managers
$101,210
Tuscaloosa, AL
$115,405
Financial and Investment Analysts
$86,680
Tuscaloosa, AL
$98,837
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.
Tuscaloosa at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Tuscaloosa-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Tuscaloosa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Tuscaloosa are: Economists ($129,960), General and Operations Managers ($101,210), Management Analysts ($99,190). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Northport instead of Tuscaloosa?
Northport, AL is 4.4 miles from Tuscaloosa and has its own set of local public policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
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.
Data verified: September 5, 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.
