2023 Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Economics 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for economics students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 Schools
Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for economics students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year.
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Out of the 24 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very 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. After completing their degree, economics graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $25,625.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in Illinois list.
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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 small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $19,500. 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 not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Economics Schools in Illinois list.
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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 Illinois. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.
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Out of the 24 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $12,297 per year.
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University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. On average, economics graduates from SIUC take out $25,006 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $25,803.
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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. On average, economics graduates from UIC take out $21,233 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Northeastern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the large 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 $19,503 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Economics at Northeastern Illinois University Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Economics Rankings in Illinois
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 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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