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.
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2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Economics Colleges.
Top 15% Best Economics Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - River Falls to be the best value school for economics students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.
UW - River Falls also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Economics at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Economics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.
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 large public school located in the city of Oshkosh.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year. While working on their degree, economics majors at UW Oshkosh accumulate an average of around $23,375 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW Oshkosh is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Crosse.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 a year. While working on their degree, economics majors at UW - La Crosse accumulate an average of around $24,081 in student debt.
UW - La Crosse also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. While working on their degree, economics majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,803 in student debt.
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.
UW - Eau Claire excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
With a ranking of #11, Valparaiso University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valparaiso.
Valpo undergraduate students pay an average of $44,796 in tuition and fees each year.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #12 on the list. UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Stevens Point.
UW - Stevens Point undergraduate students pay an average of $17,035 in tuition and fees each year.
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 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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