2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
496
Ranked Colleges
49,055
Degrees Awarded
$3,100
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 49,055 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 496 colleges that offer a degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great 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 economics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 496 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 256 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #1 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $371 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at Duke
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Economics at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 402 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $245 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Northwestern Economics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 214 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Brown has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $1,468 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Economics at Brown University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 626 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,500 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Economics at UChicago
Yale University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 247 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Yale also took the #7 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $961 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read full report on Economics at Yale
With a ranking of #7, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 417 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #4 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Economics at Johns Hopkins
With a ranking of #8, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 273 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UPenn has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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 more about Economics at University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #9, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 272 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Vanderbilt University Economics Report
Harvard University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 267 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,564 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Harvard Economics Report
Princeton University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 140 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $2,958 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Full Princeton University Economics Report
With a ranking of #12, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 100 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $1,451 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 90%.
Read more about Economics at Williams College
With a ranking of #13, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 132 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $4,443 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Economics at Rice
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 728 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Economics Report
With a ranking of #15, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 419 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It costs about $3,753 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Economics Report
Georgetown University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 265 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown is $3,077 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Georgetown University Economics Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 864 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Washington University in St Louis landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 110 students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It costs about $1,556 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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%.
Read more about Economics at Washington University in St Louis
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 330 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Economics Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at University of Florida
With a ranking of #20, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 237 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #17 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,244 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 full report on Economics at Cornell University
Boston College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 445 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston College has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $10,212 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Boston College Economics Report
Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Claremont McKenna College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Claremont McKenna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna is $5,387 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Claremont McKenna College Economics Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 808 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Economics Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Economics at University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #24, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 63 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee excels when it comes to economics quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $205 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Washington and Lee University Economics Report
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 458 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Read full report on Economics at Columbia
college factual
