April 8, 2025 – The USC Price School of Public Policy rose to No. 3 in the U.S. News & World Report’s national rankings for best public affair schools for the 2025-2026 period, the publication announced today. The school was ranked No. 4 the two previous years.
The USC Price School was ranked No. 3 among 268 schools with master’s programs in public affairs and administration. USC Price tied for No. 3 with Harvard University; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The Price School has been ranked among the best schools of its kind for nearly two decades. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Price School among its top 5 public affairs schools since 2016 and among its top 10 since 2008.
“I am thrilled that U.S. News & World Report has recognized USC Price School’s excellence in public affairs with this jump in ranking to the No. 3 spot in the country,” said Chris Boone, the school’s Dean and C. Erwin & Ione L. Piper Chair. “From our extraordinary faculty, staff, and students to our groundbreaking degree programs and research, I am confident the Price School can continue to rise in the rankings. I intend to use this momentum to continue to attract new talent and resources to support our ambitious mission to improve the quality of life of people and their communities.”
Rankings for specialty programs remained unchanged from last year because U.S. News and World Report did not update them this year.
The rankings are based on assessments by deans, directors and department chairs and peer institutions. To see the full list of USNWR rankings, please visit: www.usnews.com/grad
‘Knowledge in action’
The rise in rankings comes as the USC Price School continues to produce cutting-edge research that informs policymakers in every level of government. Aided by the school’s new Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., USC Price faculty are a growing presence on Capitol Hill, testifying before Congress on topics ranging from cuts to the federal workforce to drug pricing.
Faculty also lead ambitious research projects to help California state agencies find solutions to issues such as climate change while informing city planners through the nation’s most-cited urban planning research.
“We have a strong track record of externally funded research, with expenditures reaching $27 million last fiscal year,” said Alice Chen, Associate Professor and Vice Dean for Research. “This support reflects the confidence in the salience and impact of our work.”
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Find Out MoreSince 2009, USC Price research has been cited over 400 times in congressional and agency documents, such as the Economic Report of the President, Federal Trade Commission staff reports, and Congressional Budget Office analysis. The school’s research has earned prestigious scholarly awards from academic organizations such as American Political Science Association and Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
And students play an integral role in research, too.
“Many of our PhD students are co-authoring papers alongside faculty,” Chen said. “This close collaboration helps our students not only strengthen their research skills but also develop independent research agendas.”
The faculty’s commitment to impact goes beyond research. It also motivates their focus on experiential learning, which allows students to learn by doing the work. To complete their degrees, graduate students complete capstone projects or policy analysis practicums, in which they tackle real-life policy challenges. Such projects include advising schools on expansion plans, helping cities electricity their vehicle fleet, and consulting for nonprofit organizations.
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Find Out More“What’s wonderful about these programs is that students are put in a position where they have to be agile,” said Juliet Ann Musso, Associate Professor and Vice Dean of Graduate Programs. “It’s not a sanitized classroom experience. “They’re actually confronting challenges and need to adapt to what’s going on in the political world, which consulting firms and public service leaders have to do as well.”
That marriage between impactful faculty research and student experience can be seen with one of this year’s practicum projects. Master of Public Policy (MPP) students are conducting a project for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, analyzing the costs and benefits of the state’s tax exemption program for retaining film productions.
Based in Los Angeles, a dynamic and diverse city, the USC Price School uses its location as a living laboratory to address global challenges. And now with a campus in Washington, D.C., the school offers students the chance to study at the center of governance for the United States.
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