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2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

197 Ranked Colleges
5,791 Degrees Awarded
$8,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Business Economics is the 121st most popular major in the country with 6,169 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,791 business economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 197 colleges that offer a degree in business economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality business economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the business 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 Business Economics Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Business Economics (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,273 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full WUSTL Business Economics Report

#2

Baruch College

New York, New York
Top 15% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Baruch College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 89 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Baruch is also in the top of our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $1,858 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Baruch.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Business Economics at Baruch

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s business economics degrees to 696 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Business Economics Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 students.

Full UCLA Business Economics Report

#5

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

NC State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $7,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at NC State

#6

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#8 in overall quality

University of Georgia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 151 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $7,541 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Business Economics at UGA

#16 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s business economics degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,194 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Business Economics at Ohio State University - Main Campus

Top 25% in overall quality

University of Central Florida landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Central Florida is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCF is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Central Florida Business Economics Report

Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UCR also did well on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Business Economics Report

With a ranking of #10, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $3,950 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Business Economics Report

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 45 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, BYU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $8,834 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at Brigham Young University - Provo

#12

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Florida is a fairly large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 19 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,097 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Florida.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of North Florida Business Economics Report

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 45 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 89%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Business Economics Report

#14

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

With a ranking of #14, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Business Economics at UNT

#15

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Beloit is located in Beloit, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Beloit College is $8,574 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at Beloit

#16

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. UWF is a fairly large public school situated in Pensacola, Florida. It awarded 3 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,140 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UWF.

Read more about Business Economics at The University of West Florida

#17

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 308 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #18 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,872 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Business Economics at University of California - Santa Cruz

#18

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. UMass Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 92 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,137 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMass Amherst.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Business Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#19

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #19, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,156 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NKU.

Read more about Business Economics at Northern Kentucky University

#20

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s business economics degrees to qualified students.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $11,138 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Tech.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at Virginia Tech

#21

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 55 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arizona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of Arizona Business Economics Report

Top 20% in overall quality

Iowa State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 10 bachelors’s business economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa State is also in the top of our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,054 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Business Economics at Iowa State

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 66 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $10,516 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Business Economics at The University of Texas at San Antonio

#24

SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, New York
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, SUNY Oneonta did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Oneonta, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 172 degrees to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY Oneonta, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,106 for Bachelor’s Degree Business Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY Oneonta.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Business Economics at SUNY Oneonta

#25

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Lehigh University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s business economics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lehigh has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Business Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lehigh is $14,080 for bachelor’s degree business economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Business Economics at Lehigh University

Rest of the Best 30 in Best Value Business Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 30 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#28

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina
#29

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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