2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.
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 15% Best Economics Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - River Falls the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for economics students. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - River Falls is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Youngstown State University is a great value for economics students. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.
Full Economics at Youngstown State University Report
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Out of the 86 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 3 spot on the list. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.
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The excellent programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 per year. While working on their degree, economics majors at UW Oshkosh accumulate an average of around $23,375 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW Oshkosh also did well on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year.
Full Economics at University of Akron Main Campus Report
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $22,262.
UW - Whitewater excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Economics at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report
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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the small city of La Crosse.
UW - La Crosse undergraduate students pay an average of $18,014 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, economics majors at UW - La Crosse accumulate an average of around $24,081 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - La Crosse is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, economics majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,803 in student debt.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $18,526.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Eau Claire also did well on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Economics at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
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Valparaiso University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valparaiso.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Valpo are $44,796 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
UW - Stevens Point undergraduate students pay an average of $17,035 in tuition and fees each year.
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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 in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 14 | Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN |
| 15 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, IL |
| 16 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
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 Majors for Economics
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.
- 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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