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Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$31,067 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$51,939 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Economics Colleges.

Top 10 Best Economics Schools

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville the best value school in Illinois for economics students. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

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

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$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $25,625.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Economics Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Economics at Illinois State University Report

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small 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. 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 also made our Best Economics Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in Illinois. 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.

Full Economics at Eastern Illinois University Report

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #6 on the list. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

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

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #7 on the 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.

Full Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $25,803.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Illinois list. 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. On average, economics graduates from UIC take out $21,233 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value economics programs. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-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.

Read full report on Economics at Northeastern Illinois University

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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