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Best Public Policy Schools Near Wisconsin Rapids, WI (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin has 1 accredited school offering public policy programs. Wisconsin Rapids has a population of about 18,756. Median household income is $54,116 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Wisconsin, the top-earning public policy-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $118,730 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Wisconsin Rapids
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Wisconsin Rapids, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wisconsin Rapids 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 Wisconsin Rapids.
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.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Wisconsin schools on the Wisconsin public policy page.
Public Policy Wages Near Wisconsin Rapids
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Wisconsin, statewide)
Political Scientists
N/A
Management Analysts
$98,780
Economists
$84,000
Social and Community Service Managers
$82,130
Survey Researchers
$92,660
Compliance Officers
$78,800
General and Operations Managers
$118,730
Financial and Investment Analysts
$95,570
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.
Wisconsin Rapids at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
18,756
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$54,116
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
16.9%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Other Wisconsin Rapids-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
How many accredited public policy schools are near Wisconsin Rapids, WI?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Wisconsin Rapids. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, WI (93.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Madison (93.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public policy roles in Wisconsin?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles in Wisconsin are: General and Operations Managers ($118,730), Management Analysts ($98,780), Financial and Investment Analysts ($95,570). Wages for Wisconsin Rapids workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Stevens Point instead of Wisconsin Rapids?
Stevens Point, WI is 16.3 miles from Wisconsin Rapids 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 Wisconsin Rapids an affordable place to study public policy?
Wisconsin Rapids’s median household income of $54,116 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wisconsin Rapids while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin 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.
