UNC MPA improves its top 25 ranking among America’s Best Public Affairs Grad Schools

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The UNC School of Government proudly shares the sustained success of its Master of Public Administration program. In its 28^th year at the School, the UNC-Chapel Hill MPA improved its ranking among the top 25 public affairs programs—as measured by U.S. News & World Report in their “Best Graduate Schools” list.

The program earned a 21^st overall rank in the public affairs category—improving two spots. This marks the 13th consecutive year UNC MPA has maintained its position among the top 25 public affairs programs in the United States.

The program maintained its highly regarded second-ranked position in the local government management specialty area.

The program also retained its top 10 standing in the public management and leadership field, ranking 10^th in the nation. UNC MPA maintained a top-20 ranking in the public finance and budgeting specialty, coming in at 18^th best in the nation in the field.

"The UNC MPA program remains committed to achieving our mission to prepare public service leaders and create useable knowledge that improves governance," said UNC MPA Director Willow Jacobson. "We are grateful to our public administration peers in higher education for recognizing our continued success. Our success would not be possible without strong support from our alumni, faculty, staff, and students."

As part of the public affairs category, U.S. News ranked Carolina programs and specialty areas based in the School of Government and the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of public policy.

This year's list—released April 8, 2025—saw numerous UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs receive high rankings.

Find all of the U.S. News & World Report rankings online.

Published April 8, 2025