Best Public Policy Schools Near Cedar Park, TX (2026)

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

Cedar Park, Texas has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $58,100 to $74,226 per year for indexed programs. Cedar Park has a population of about 77,474. Median household income is $123,972 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $117,850 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Cedar Park

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

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX 16.6 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
84.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,121
Avg net price $19,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

The University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, TX 80.2 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,131
Avg net price $10,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 120

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Baylor University

Waco, TX 82.5 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 51%
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,793
Avg net price $41,104/yr
Tuition
In‑state$58,100
Out‑of‑state$58,100
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 141

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

#4

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX 88.4 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
81.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,097
Avg net price $21,315/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 233

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Rice University

Houston, TX 154.5 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 8%
Graduation rate 95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,718
Avg net price $13,370/yr
Tuition
In‑state$64,144
Out‑of‑state$64,144
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 78

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

#6

University of St Thomas

Houston, TX 154.5 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
63.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,224
Avg net price $19,359/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,634
Out‑of‑state$34,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 62

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

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#7

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, TX 154.8 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
96.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $88,757
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Houston

Houston, TX 157.7 miles from Cedar Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Policy Wages Near Cedar Park

Cedar Park is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (BLS area code 12420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists $114,050 TX statewide $116,259
Management Analysts $106,600 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $108,665
Economists $87,350 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $89,042
Social and Community Service Managers $80,030 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $81,580
Survey Researchers $47,330 TX statewide $48,247
Compliance Officers $70,720 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $72,090
General and Operations Managers $117,850 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $120,133
Financial and Investment Analysts $101,530 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $103,496

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.

Cedar Park at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 77,474 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $123,972 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 55.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cedar Park-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Cedar Park, TX?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Cedar Park. The closest is The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX (16.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (88.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Cedar Park?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Cedar Park are: General and Operations Managers ($117,850), Political Scientists ($114,050), Management Analysts ($106,600). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Leander instead of Cedar Park?

Leander, TX is 4.6 miles from Cedar Park 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 Cedar Park an affordable place to study public policy?

Cedar Park’s median household income of $123,972 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cedar Park while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Cedar Park

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

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 Texas: Online Programs (2026)