2023 Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Applied Economics is the 534th most popular major in the country with 618 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 94 applied economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in applied economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great applied economics programs and cost less that 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan

#1 in overall quality

$17,207 Average Net Price

$58,051 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 65 diplomas to qualified ’s applied economics students in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,207 for great lakes region applied economics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend U-M.

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 freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full U-M Applied Economics Report

2

Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

#3 in overall quality

$18,563 Average Net Price

$43,401 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Michigan University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 4 ’s applied economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Eastern Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $18,563 for Great Lakes Region Applied Economics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Applied Economics at Eastern Michigan University

3

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Bowling Green, Ohio

#4 in overall quality

$20,603 Average Net Price

$40,036 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

BGSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BGSU is $20,603 for Great Lakes Region Applied Economics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Applied Economics at BGSU

4

Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

#2 in overall quality

$31,499 Average Net Price

$52,581 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Marquette University landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 13 ’s applied economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Marquette also made our “Best Applied Economics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Marquette is $31,499 for Great Lakes Region Applied Economics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Marquette University Applied Economics Report

• Best Value Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $75-$110k)

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.