I am a Hunter MPH alum and I honestly couldn't be happier with my decision. A huge part of it was financial for me but there were other reasons and compared to many of my friends that went to Columbia, I think I ended up with the better deal in some ways. This may be based on the strength of the policy and management department at Hunter (Wooldhandler/Himmelstein) but I also left without any debt! I worked full time the entire way through my degree, so I continued to earn raises/promotions thanks to my study. Other students who seemed to really get a lot of of the degree worked part-time and took on internships that were directly related to what they wanted to do after graduation. I loved that there were lots of nurses and other health professionals who carried on full time work and were in the same classes as me.
I think it is well-regarded regionally though I think I could get a job throughout the country as required. It's a good fit if you want to work for the city or a health serving non-profit. Maybe not so good if you want to become a hospital executive.