2023 Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 618 people earned their degree in applied economics, making the major the 534th most popular in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 105 applied economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in applied economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality applied economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the applied economics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The applied economics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$7,698 Average Net Price

$50,445 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 73 ’s applied economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for Plains States Region Applied Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UMN Twin Cities Applied Economics Report

2

University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,513 Average Net Price

$40,810 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s applied economics students in 2020-2021.

UNI also took the #2 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,513 for plains states region applied economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Applied Economics at University of Northern Iowa

3

St Catherine University
Saint Paul, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$14,391 Average Net Price

$53,926 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the #3 spot on the list. St. Kate’s is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Kate’s, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St Catherine University is $14,391 for plains states region applied economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Read full report on Applied Economics at St Catherine University

• Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.