Best Public Policy Schools Near Scranton, PA (2026)

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

Scranton, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $10,567 to $30,447 per year for indexed programs. Scranton has a population of about 76,074. Median household income is $49,531 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning public policy-related role is Political Scientists at a median $140,020 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Scranton

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

Scranton, PA 0.4 miles from Scranton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,652
Avg net price $32,568/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Policy Wages Near Scranton

Scranton is part of the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area (BLS area code 42540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists $140,020 PA statewide $149,594
Management Analysts $93,150 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA $99,519
Economists $115,000 PA statewide $122,863
Social and Community Service Managers $75,710 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA $80,887
Survey Researchers $63,310 PA statewide $67,639
Compliance Officers $65,780 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA $70,278
General and Operations Managers $93,820 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA $100,235
Financial and Investment Analysts $76,340 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA $81,560

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.

Scranton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 76,074 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $49,531 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 22.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Scranton-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Scranton, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Scranton. The closest is University of Scranton in Scranton, PA (0.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Cornell University (83.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Scranton are: Political Scientists ($140,020), Economists ($115,000), General and Operations Managers ($93,820). 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 Wilkes-Barre instead of Scranton?

Wilkes-Barre, PA is 15.4 miles from Scranton 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 Scranton an affordable place to study public policy?

Scranton’s median household income of $49,531 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Scranton 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 Policy Programs

Other Programs Available in Scranton

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

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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