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Best Public Policy Schools Near Hilton Head Island, SC (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is home to about 37,805 residents. Median household income is $96,715 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is Management Analysts at a median $119,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Hilton Head Island
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Hilton Head Island, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hilton Head Island 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 Hilton Head Island.
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.
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#1
Anderson University
📍
Anderson, SC
•
194.2 miles from Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area (BLS area code 25940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
SC statewide
–
Management Analysts
$119,430
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$121,867
Economists
N/A
SC statewide
–
Social and Community Service Managers
$84,470
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$86,194
Survey Researchers
N/A
SC statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$64,150
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$65,459
General and Operations Managers
$102,770
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$104,867
Financial and Investment Analysts
$95,710
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$97,663
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.
Hilton Head Island at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
37,805
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$96,715
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
55.3%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
98.0 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Hilton Head Island-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Hilton Head Island?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Hilton Head Island are: Management Analysts ($119,430), General and Operations Managers ($102,770), Financial and Investment Analysts ($95,710). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Beaufort instead of Hilton Head Island?
Beaufort, SC is 18.1 miles from Hilton Head Island 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 Hilton Head Island an affordable place to study public policy?
Hilton Head Island’s median household income of $96,715 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hilton Head Island while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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.
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.
