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Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

86 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.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the economics bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best school for economics students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

The average amount in student loans that economics majors at UChicago take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $16,046. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $708, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $18,341 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $593, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Economics at University of Notre Dame Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that economics majors at Northwestern take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,602. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $456.

Full Economics at Northwestern University Report

#4

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DePauw University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $789.

Read full report on Economics at DePauw University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, economics graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $17,284. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $481, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#6

Denison University

Granville, OH

Denison University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Granville.

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With a ranking of #7, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton.

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University of Wisconsin - River Falls 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 #8 on the list. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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University of Wisconsin - Madison 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. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.

Economics majors at UW - Madison take out an average of $19,744 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 $202.

Full Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#10

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

With a ranking of #10, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

Full Economics at Marquette University Report

With a ranking of #11, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that economics majors at UIUC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,203. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $392.

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With a ranking of #12, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cleveland.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
14 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
15 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
16 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
17 University of Dayton Dayton, OH

Best Economics Colleges by State

Explore the best economics schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,496
Ohio 1,136
Illinois 2,155
Indiana 889
Wisconsin 1,225

Economics is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Economics

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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