2023 Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Economics 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.
The Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Check out the economics programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Economics Schools
Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best school for economics students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, economics majors at UChicago accumulate an average of around $16,256 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $708, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Economics majors at Notre Dame take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $593, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for economics students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, economics graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $15,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $456.
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Out of the 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, DePauw University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, economics graduates from DePauw carry an average student debtload of $26,814. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $789.
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Out of the 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Economics majors at U-M take out an average of $18,742 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $481, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
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Denison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for economics students. It came in at #6 on the list. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Granville.
Economics majors at Denison take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Wheaton College Illinois came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wheaton.
The average amount in student loans that economics majors at Wheaton College Illinois take out is $22,944.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college 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 schools for economics students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, economics majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,549 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $202.
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Marquette University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best economics programs. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.
While working on their degree, economics majors at Marquette accumulate an average of around $22,500 in student debt.
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Case Western Reserve University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cleveland.
Economics majors at Case Western take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Oberlin College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for economics students. It came in at #12 on the list. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Oberlin.
While working on their degree, economics majors at Oberlin accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.
Full Economics at Oberlin College Report
Request InformationAdditional 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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 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 colleges 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 |
More Economics Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Economics Related Rankings by Major
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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