2023 Best Value Economics Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
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 Value Economics Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 551 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for economics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Economics
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for economics students. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at BYU take out is $14,500.
BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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Out of the 551 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the # 2 spot on the list. BYU - I is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Rexburg.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools list. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,952 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, SRJC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Park University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools list. Park University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Parkville.
Park University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,853 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent programs at Metropolitan State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in the United States. Metro State is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Metro State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,394 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Metro State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASU - Skysong are $13,092 per year. Economics majors at ASU - Skysong take out an average of $23,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $324, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
ASU - Skysong excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #7 on the list. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Youngstown State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
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Fort Hays State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools list. FHSU is a large public school located in the town of Hays.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FHSU are $15,870 per year.
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The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Graduate Center are $15,360 a year.
The Graduate Center excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year.
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With a ranking of #12, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Slippery Rock.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SRU are $14,615 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, SRU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Minnesota - Morris did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Located in the town of Morris, UMN Morris is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Morris are $15,940 per year.
UMN Morris also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.
MSU Moorhead undergraduate students pay an average of $17,564 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MSU Moorhead also did well on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of North Dakota landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.
UND undergraduate students pay an average of $15,037 in tuition and fees each year.
UND also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Dakota State University also did well on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Winona State University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Winona State also did well on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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East Los Angeles College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at East Los Angeles College are $9,012 a year.
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With a ranking of #20, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from UW Oshkosh carry an average student debtload of $23,375.
UW Oshkosh excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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With a ranking of #21, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. University of Akron Main Campus is a large public school located in the midsize city of Akron.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools ranking. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at UW - Whitewater take out is $22,262.
UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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South Dakota State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at South Dakota State take out is $26,000.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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University of Northern Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $19,753 per year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at UNI take out is $22,063.
In addition to its great value ranking, UNI is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
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Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Teachers College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools list.
Read full report on Economics at Teachers College at Columbia University
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Additional Award Winners
This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Economics Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 551 different United States economics schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Economics Schools award.
Economics by Region
View the Best Value Economics Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Economics Rankings
Majors Related to Economics
One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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.
- 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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