2023 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $48-$75k)
496
Ranked Colleges
49,055
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 49,055 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 496 colleges that offer a degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the economics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Economics Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $48-$75k)
Out of the 496 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 247 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Yale also took the #7 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Yale University is $2,815 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Yale University Economics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 256 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $7,160 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Economics at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 116 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $48-$75k list, Stanford has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $7,081 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Stanford University Economics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 267 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,669 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvard.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at Harvard
Out of the 496 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 402 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $5,849 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Economics at Northwestern
University of Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 626 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $48-$75k list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $8,375 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at UChicago
With a ranking of #7, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 458 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,106 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at Columbia
Rice University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 132 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $6,152 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Rice Economics Report
Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 272 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It costs about $7,694 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Economics at Vanderbilt
Williams College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,576 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Williams College.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Economics at Williams College
Johns Hopkins University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 417 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $8,457 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Economics at Johns Hopkins
With a ranking of #12, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 140 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Princeton also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $5,542 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Princeton University Economics Report
Dartmouth College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $12,172 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Dartmouth.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Economics at Dartmouth
Brown University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 214 students in 2020-2021.
Brown also took the #11 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,219 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at Brown University
Washington and Lee University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 63 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee excels when it comes to economics quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $6,505 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Washington and Lee Economics Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 273 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Economics Report
With a ranking of #17, Colby College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Colby is located in Waterville, Maine and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Colby excels when it comes to economics quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Colby is $5,536 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at Colby
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 728 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,481 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Cornell University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 237 students in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #17 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $9,785 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Economics at Cornell University
Amherst College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Amherst is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 37 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Amherst also did well on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Amherst College is $7,793 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Economics at Amherst
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 808 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for Economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Economics at University of California - Berkeley
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 419 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full UNC Chapel Hill Economics Report
With a ranking of #23, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 309 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $8,393 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Economics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 110 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $48-$75k list, WUSTL has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $8,149 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Economics Report
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 884 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #20 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,644 for economics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full UCLA Economics Report
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