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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Economics (Income $30-$48k)

427 Ranked Colleges
28,837 Degrees Awarded
$6,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 28,837 people earned their degree in general economics, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 427 colleges that offered a degree in general economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general 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 general economics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Economics (Income $30-$48k)

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $1,938 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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.

Read more about General Economics at University of Pennsylvania

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

Columbia also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,699 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Economics at Columbia

3
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 General Economics at Vanderbilt

4
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Rice also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,340 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rice.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about General Economics at Rice University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 646 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $5,670 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor General Economics Report

6

Washington and Lee University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 63 degrees to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Washington and Lee is in the top on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $850 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. 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.

Full Washington and Lee University General Economics Report

7

With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 362 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $5,729 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8

Washington University in St Louis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 4 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,446 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 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 General Economics Report

9
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,859 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Full Johns Hopkins General Economics Report

10
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 24 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $5,133 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 General Economics at Cornell

11
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #11, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 330 diplomas to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

UF excels when it comes to general economics quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $2,857 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 General Economics at University of Florida

12

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 624 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,788 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 General Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison

13
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Georgetown is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 158 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Georgetown also made our “Best General Economics Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $9,871 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Georgetown General Economics Report

14
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Boston College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $7,075 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Read more about General Economics at Boston College

15
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 106 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Wake Forest University is in the top on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $5,612 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Economics at Wake Forest University

16
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #16, William & Mary did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 127 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, William & Mary is in the top on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $7,507 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Economics at William & Mary

17
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York

Colgate University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colgate, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,197 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colgate University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 more about General Economics at Colgate

18

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 352 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,036 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at UIUC

19

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 154 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $8,609 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Economics at UMN Twin Cities

20
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Vassar College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vassar is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 41 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Vassar is in the top on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vassar is $13,193 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on General Economics at Vassar

21
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 389 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $3,524 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 General Economics at Queens College

22
Haverford crest
Haverford College
Haverford, Pennsylvania

Haverford College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Haverford is located in Haverford, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s general economics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Haverford is also in the top of our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $9,272 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Haverford.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Haverford General Economics Report

23

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 124 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington excels when it comes to general economics quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $7,061 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Economics at IU Bloomington

24
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 528 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $10,063 for general economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus General Economics Report

25
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

With a ranking of #25, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 271 students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Florida State also did well on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $7,349 for General Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Florida State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Economics at Florida State University

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
27
28
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Hunter College
New York, New York
29
30
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Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
31
32
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Trinity College
Hartford, Connecticut
33
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California
34
Colorado College crest
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado
35
36
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
37
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, New York
38
39
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Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio
40
41
42
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University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
43
44
Hamilton crest
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York
45
46
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Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin
47
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Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
48
49
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Making $30-$48k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
52Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta Rosa, CA
53University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
54The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
55California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
56San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
57University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
58University of Minnesota - DuluthDuluth, MN
59University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA
60Virginia Military InstituteLexington, VA
61California State University - StanislausTurlock, CA
62California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
63Indiana University - Purdue University - IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN
64Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
65St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, MN
RankCollegeLocation

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