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Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$31,067 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,696 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 2,155 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, economics is the #13 most popular major in Illinois.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 24 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for economics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for economics students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Economics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

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Out of the 24 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.

Full Economics at Western Illinois University Report

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Out of the 24 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. On average, economics graduates from UIUC take out $18,203 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 $392.

UIUC also made our Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year.

Illinois State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Full Economics at Illinois State University Report

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree economics programs. UIS is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year.

Full Economics at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree economics programs. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year.

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University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, economics majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $19,856 in student debt.

Read full report on Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago

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With a ranking of #9, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students working on their bachelor’s degree. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. Economics majors at NIU take out an average of $25,928 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Economics at Northern Illinois University Report

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Northeastern Illinois University 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 #10 on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. On average, economics graduates from Northeastern Illinois University take out $22,994 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Economics at Northeastern Illinois University Report

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Best Value Economics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,496
Ohio 1,136
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 24 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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