Best Public Policy Schools Near Richardson, TX (2026)

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

Richardson, Texas has 3 accredited schools offering public policy programs, with tuition ranging from $67,040 to $85,606 per year for indexed programs. Richardson has a population of about 118,269. Median household income is $96,257 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 56.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $122,170 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Policy Schools to Richardson

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

Richardson, TX 2.5 miles from Richardson
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,227
Avg net price $18,267/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Public Policy Wages Near Richardson

Richardson is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (BLS area code 19100). 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 $110,621
Management Analysts $102,860 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $99,767
Economists $122,170 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $118,497
Social and Community Service Managers $80,480 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $78,060
Survey Researchers $37,500 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $36,372
Compliance Officers $77,760 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $75,422
General and Operations Managers $111,010 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $107,672
Financial and Investment Analysts $100,350 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $97,333

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.

Richardson at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 118,269 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $96,257 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 56.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Richardson-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public policy schools are near Richardson, TX?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Richardson. The closest is The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, TX (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Dallas Baptist University (22.7 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Richardson are: Economists ($122,170), Political Scientists ($114,050), General and Operations Managers ($111,010). 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 Plano instead of Richardson?

Plano, TX is 5.9 miles from Richardson 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 Richardson an affordable place to study public policy?

Richardson’s median household income of $96,257 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Richardson 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 Richardson

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

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)