2026 Best Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Economics undergraduate certificate degree programs in the United States? Our ranking highlights 937 institutions by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Each school below is scored on factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To arm you with the information you need, Course Advisor analyzed schools to produce this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these high-value schools below:
Leading the list is University Of Missouri St Louis, our #1 best-value Economics school in the United States. This public school is set in Saint Louis, MO. In-state tuition and fees run about $15,120, compared with $37,620 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,962 to complete their Economics program here. Graduates go on to earn a median of $53,037 ten years after entry. Set against $22,962 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 63%. See the full University Of Missouri St Louis profile
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Graceland University Lamoni earned it the #2 place in the United States. Read the full report on Graceland University Lamoni
Indiana University Northwest came in at #3 on this year's best-value Economics ranking in the United States. Get the full Indiana University Northwest report
Susquehanna University came in at #4 on this year's best-value Economics ranking in the United States. See the full Susquehanna University profile
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at The University Of Texas At San Antonio earned it the #5 place in the United States. Read the full report on The University Of Texas At San Antonio
University Of Kansas placed #6 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about University Of Kansas
Vanderbilt University landed the #7 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Vanderbilt University profile
California State University Channel Islands came in at #8 in this year's value ranking. Read more about California State University Channel Islands
Cuesta College landed the #9 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Cuesta College
James A Rhodes State College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read the full report on James A Rhodes State College
Loyola Marymount University offered strong value this year, earning the #11 position. Read the full report on Loyola Marymount University
Mercer University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read more about Mercer University
Saint Cloud State University placed #13 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on Saint Cloud State University
Ashland University placed #14 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on Ashland University
Los Angeles Trade Technical College offered strong value this year, earning the #15 position. See the full Los Angeles Trade Technical College profile
Ohio Wesleyan University came in at #16 in this year's value ranking. More on Ohio Wesleyan University
University Of Wisconsin Whitewater offered strong value this year, earning the #17 position. Get the full University Of Wisconsin Whitewater report
George Fox University offered strong value this year, earning the #18 position. Read the full report on George Fox University
Lebanon Valley College landed the #19 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Lebanon Valley College profile
Northwestern College Iowa ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. More on Northwestern College Iowa
Ohio University Zanesville Campus offered strong value this year, earning the #21 position. More on Ohio University Zanesville Campus
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #22 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville report
Boise State University landed the #23 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Boise State University
California State University Sacramento landed the #24 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full California State University Sacramento report
Suny College At Old Westbury offered strong value this year, earning the #25 position. See the full Suny College At Old Westbury profile
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also delivered strong value this year:
The College Of New Jersey came in at #26 in this year's value ranking. See the full The College Of New Jersey profile
University Of Nevada Las Vegas landed the #27 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about University Of Nevada Las Vegas
William Jessup University ranked #28 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read more about William Jessup University
Alpena Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #29 position. Read the full report on Alpena Community College
Carthage College
Carthage College offered strong value this year, earning the #30 position. Read the full report on Carthage College
Lycoming College
Lycoming College placed #31 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about Lycoming College
Pepperdine University came in at #32 in this year's value ranking. See the full Pepperdine University profile
Bard College At Simons Rock ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Get the full Bard College At Simons Rock report
City College Of San Francisco ranked #34 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read the full report on City College Of San Francisco
Colby College
Colby College landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Colby College
College Of Alameda placed #36 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on College Of Alameda
Concordia University Irvine came in at #37 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Concordia University Irvine report
Eastern Michigan University placed #38 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. More on Eastern Michigan University
Arizona State University Skysong ranked #39 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. More on Arizona State University Skysong
Colorado State University Fort Collins placed #40 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about Colorado State University Fort Collins
Depauw University placed #41 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on Depauw University
Southern New Hampshire University came in at #42 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Southern New Hampshire University
University Of Wisconsin River Falls offered strong value this year, earning the #43 position. Read the full report on University Of Wisconsin River Falls
Grossmont College ranked #44 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read the full report on Grossmont College
Lubbock Christian University offered strong value this year, earning the #45 position. More on Lubbock Christian University
Murray State University landed the #46 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Murray State University report
Nazareth College
Nazareth College landed the #47 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Nazareth College report
Reed College
Reed College placed #48 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. More on Reed College
Saint Bonaventure University landed the #49 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Saint Bonaventure University
Western Nebraska Community College came in at #50 in this year's value ranking. See the full Western Nebraska Community College profile
Related Economics Value Rankings
See value rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Value Economics Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Economics Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 937 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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