2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Applied Economics is the 497th most popular major in the country with 652 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Plains States region, there were 117 applied economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 98 applied economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in applied economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality applied economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the applied economics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree applied economics students.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Applied Economics in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$15,620 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

UNI also made our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Applied Economics at University of Northern Iowa

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$17,740 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for plains states region bachelor’s degree applied economics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Applied Economics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#3

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$19,078 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St Catherine University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. St. Kate’s is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

St. Kate’s also took the #3 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,078 for plains states region bachelor’s degree applied economics students per year to attend St. Kate’s.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full St Catherine University Applied Economics Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Applied Economics

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.

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