Best Public Policy Schools Near Gainesville, GA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Gainesville, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $32,305 to $48,301 per year for indexed programs. Gainesville has a population of about 44,051. Median household income is $64,636 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Georgia, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $122,570 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Gainesville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Gainesville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gainesville 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 Gainesville. 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

University of Georgia

Athens, GA 34.8 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
88.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,726
Avg net price $13,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 241

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Young Harris College

Young Harris, GA 44.5 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
35.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,195
Avg net price $22,034/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,305
Out‑of‑state$32,305
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Emory University

Atlanta, GA 44.7 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,137
Avg net price $22,585/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 112

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA 48.2 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $102,772
Avg net price $12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA 49.0 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,384
Avg net price $15,931/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 133

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Mercer University

Macon, GA 101.5 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,354
Avg net price $23,847/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Augusta University

Augusta, GA 119.8 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,472
Avg net price $13,787/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 94

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Policy Wages Near Gainesville

Gainesville is part of the Gainesville, GA metro area (BLS area code 23580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists N/A GA statewide –
Management Analysts $75,520 Gainesville, GA $78,017
Economists $122,570 GA statewide $126,622
Social and Community Service Managers $70,830 Gainesville, GA $73,171
Survey Researchers $51,590 GA statewide $53,295
Compliance Officers $66,730 Gainesville, GA $68,936
General and Operations Managers $95,710 Gainesville, GA $98,874
Financial and Investment Analysts $75,950 Gainesville, GA $78,461

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.

Gainesville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 44,051 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $64,636 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 26.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.8 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Gainesville, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Gainesville. The closest is University of Georgia in Athens, GA (34.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Georgia State University (49.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Gainesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Gainesville are: Economists ($122,570), General and Operations Managers ($95,710), Financial and Investment Analysts ($75,950). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sugar Hill instead of Gainesville?

Sugar Hill, GA is 18.0 miles from Gainesville 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.

Is Gainesville an affordable place to study public policy?

Gainesville’s median household income of $64,636 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gainesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Georgia 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 Policy Programs

Other Programs Available in Gainesville

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

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.

Back to Best Public Policy Schools in Georgia: Online Programs (2026)