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2023 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

535 Colleges
$47,696 Avg Salary
$22,047 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree School for You

Economics is the #19 most popular major in the country with 49,055 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 535 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for economics majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Economics

#1

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Claremont McKenna College the best school in the United States for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Claremont McKenna carry an average student debtload of $13,117.

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#2

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Williams College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Economics at Williams College Report

#3

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

Full Economics at Duke University Report

#4

Rice University

Houston, TX

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rice University is a great place for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at Rice accumulate an average of around $13,776 in student debt.

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#5

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Dartmouth College is a great place for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $548, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Economics at Dartmouth College Report

#6

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

With a ranking of #7, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, economics graduates from UChicago take out $16,046 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $708.

Full Economics at University of Chicago Report

#8

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Yale University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree economics programs. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Yale carry an average student debtload of $16,376.

Read full report on Economics at Yale University

#9

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for economics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $18,341. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $593, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Economics at University of Notre Dame Report

#10

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree economics programs. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at Vanderbilt accumulate an average of around $14,557 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $603, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#11

Pomona College

Claremont, CA

With a ranking of #11, Pomona College did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

Read full report on Economics at Pomona College

#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

On average, economics graduates from Northwestern take out $15,602 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $456.

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#13

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Amherst College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree economics programs. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#14

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

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#15

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree economics programs. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Full Economics at Carnegie Mellon University Report

Colorado School of Mines ranked #16 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Mines is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Golden.

Full Economics at Colorado School of Mines Report

#17

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

With a ranking of #17, Cornell University did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $14,099. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $429, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Economics at Cornell University Report

#18

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Brunswick.

Read full report on Economics at Bowdoin College

#19

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

On average, economics graduates from UPenn take out $16,451 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Economics at University of Pennsylvania Report

#20

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#21

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

Colgate University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Hamilton.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from Colgate carry an average student debtload of $15,373.

Read More…

#22

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

With a ranking of #22, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at Johns Hopkins accumulate an average of around $16,393 in student debt.

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University of California - Berkeley ranked #23 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

On average, economics graduates from UC Berkeley take out $13,817 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $378.

Read More…

#24

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree economics programs. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Economics at Stanford University Report

#25

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA

Bucknell University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $741, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Economics at Bucknell University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

#26

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA
#27

Lafayette College

Easton, PA
#28

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#29

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC
#30

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN
#31

Barnard College

New York, NY
#32

Bates College

Lewiston, ME
#35

Haverford College

Haverford, PA
#36

Carleton College

Northfield, MN
#38

Denison University

Granville, OH
#39

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA
#40

Georgetown University

Washington, DC
#41

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA
#42

Grinnell College

Grinnell, IA
#43

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD
#44

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
#45

Tufts University

Medford, MA
#46

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA
#47

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY
#49

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 535 different United States economics schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Lycoming College Williamsport, PA
52 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
53 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
54 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
55 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
56 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
57 Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL
58 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
59 Emory University Atlanta, GA
60 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
61 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
62 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
63 Trinity College Hartford, CT
64 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
65 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
66 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
67 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
68 Colby College Waterville, ME
69 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
70 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
71 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
72 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
73 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
74 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
75 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
76 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
77 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
78 New York University New York, NY
79 Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN
80 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
80 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Economics students that almost earned our Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
82 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
83 Furman University Greenville, SC
84 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
85 Elon University Elon, NC
86 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
87 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
88 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
89 University of Delaware Newark, DE
90 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
91 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
92 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA
93 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
94 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
95 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
96 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
97 Roanoke College Salem, VA
98 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
99 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
100 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
101 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
102 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
103 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
104 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
105 Trinity University San Antonio, TX
106 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
107 George Washington University Washington, DC

Economics by Region

View the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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