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Best Value Economics Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

56 Colleges
$17,595 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,488 Avg Salary

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.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 56 schools in the Plains States 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Economics Schools

#1

Park University

Parkville, MO
$8,853 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Park University the best value school in the Plains States Region for economics students. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Park University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,853 in tuition and fees each year.

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$9,394 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Metropolitan State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Metro State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,394 in tuition and fees each year.

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$15,870 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Fort Hays State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FHSU are $15,870 a year.

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$15,940 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 56 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Morris landed the # 4 spot on the list. UMN Morris is a small public school located in the remote town of Morris.

UMN Morris undergraduate students pay an average of $15,940 in tuition and fees each year.

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$17,564 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU Moorhead are $17,564 a year.

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#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND
$15,037 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Dakota came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UND are $15,037 per year.

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With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Economics Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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With a ranking of #8, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 15% of our Best Economics Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

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With a ranking of #9, South Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. Economics majors at South Dakota State take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

South Dakota State also claimed a spot on our Best Economics Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#10

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

University of Northern Iowa came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $19,753 per year. Economics majors at UNI take out an average of $22,063 in student loans while working on their egree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNI also is in the top 10% of our Best Economics Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

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Best Economics Colleges by State

Explore the best economics schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 420
Minnesota 847
Kansas 344
Iowa 321
Nebraska 111
North Dakota 41
South Dakota 43

Economics is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

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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