Best Public Policy Schools Near New Bedford, MA (2026)

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

New Bedford, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,942 to $87,648 per year for indexed programs. New Bedford has a population of about 100,731. Median household income is $56,025 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Massachusetts, the top-earning public policy-related role is Political Scientists at a median $133,930 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to New Bedford

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

North Dartmouth, MA 4.3 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,804
Avg net price $20,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Boston, MA 44.7 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,865
Avg net price $17,707/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 96

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Simmons University

Boston, MA 47.0 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,494
Avg net price $25,265/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Boston University

Boston, MA 47.8 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 11%
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,238
Avg net price $24,402/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,102
Out‑of‑state$68,102
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 228

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Suffolk University

Boston, MA 47.9 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,506
Avg net price $29,618/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 49.5 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 174

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA 50.8 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,231
Avg net price $35,736/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,080
Out‑of‑state$68,080
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Bentley University

Waltham, MA 51.5 miles from New Bedford
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $120,959
Avg net price $37,930/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Policy Wages Near New Bedford

New Bedford is part of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (BLS area code 39300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists $133,930 MA statewide $131,562
Management Analysts $100,360 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $98,585
Economists $106,380 MA statewide $104,499
Social and Community Service Managers $77,490 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $76,120
Survey Researchers $74,890 MA statewide $73,566
Compliance Officers $87,620 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $86,071
General and Operations Managers $110,360 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $108,409
Financial and Investment Analysts $100,290 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $98,517

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.

New Bedford at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 100,731 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,025 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 16.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other New Bedford-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near New Bedford, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs near New Bedford. The closest is University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in North Dartmouth, MA (4.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Simmons University (47.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public policy roles near New Bedford?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near New Bedford are: Political Scientists ($133,930), General and Operations Managers ($110,360), Economists ($106,380). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fall River instead of New Bedford?

Fall River, MA is 8.7 miles from New Bedford 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 New Bedford an affordable place to study public policy?

New Bedford’s median household income of $56,025 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in New Bedford while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 New Bedford

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

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.

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