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2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

30 Ranked Colleges
2,644 Degrees Awarded
$12,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 48,831 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 3,354 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,242 and $22,416 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,644 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the economics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $2,498 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Williams.

With a 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about Economics at Williams College

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 215 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,973 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Harvard University

#3

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Amherst College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 74 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

Amherst also took the #3 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Amherst is $6,079 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 91%.

Read full report on Economics at Amherst College

#4

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tufts University landed the #4 spot on the list. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 172 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tufts has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $5,267 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 92%.

Full Tufts University Economics Report

#5

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wellesley College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wellesley also took the #6 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $8,785 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wellesley.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Economics at Wellesley

#6

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 316 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $6,353 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Boston College

#7

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 159 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern is $10,239 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Northeastern University Economics Report

#8

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #8, Smith College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Smith is a small school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that handed out 46 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Smith also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Smith College is $6,075 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Smith College

#9

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. College of the Holy Cross is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

Holy Cross also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $15,036 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Holy Cross.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 89%. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Holy Cross Economics Report

#10

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 300 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston U, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $12,903 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boston U.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Economics at Boston University

#11

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 151 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandeis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis is $13,567 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at Brandeis

#12

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 310 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $13,137 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 more about Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#13

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. Holyoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. Holyoke is $12,063 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Economics at Mt. Holyoke

#14

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts

Westfield State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Westfield is a medium-sized public school situated in Westfield, Massachusetts. It awarded 29 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Westfield also took the #20 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Westfield is $12,672 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Westfield

#15

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, Massachusetts
#24 in overall quality

Fitchburg State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fitchburg State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It awarded 5 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Fitchburg State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $11,770 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fitchburg State.

Read more about Economics at Fitchburg State

#16

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Lowell, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #16, University of Massachusetts - Lowell did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a fairly large public school situated in Lowell, Massachusetts. It awarded 37 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMass Lowell has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Lowell is $11,560 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Economics at University of Massachusetts - Lowell

#17

Worcester State University

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Worcester State is a medium-sized public school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 12 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Worcester State University is $16,011 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Worcester State Economics Report

#18

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Bridgewater State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bridgewater, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater State University is $13,332 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Bridgewater State University Economics Report

#19

University of Massachusetts - Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #19, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMass Boston is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 131 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UMass Boston is $13,859 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Massachusetts - Boston Economics Report

#20

Framingham State University

Framingham, Massachusetts

Framingham State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Framingham, Massachusetts, this small public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Framingham State is $14,612 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Framingham State University Economics Report

#21

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Salem State University is a medium-sized school located in Salem, Massachusetts that handed out 13 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,593 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Salem State.

Read more about Economics at Salem State

#22

Wheaton College Massachusetts

Norton, Massachusetts

Wheaton College Massachusetts did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Wheaton College Massachusetts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Norton, Massachusetts. It awarded 33 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Massachusetts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Massachusetts is $20,511 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Wheaton College Massachusetts

#23

Clark University

Worcester, Massachusetts
#18 in overall quality

Clark University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Clark is a small school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 44 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Clark also took the #18 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $22,734 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Clark University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Clark University

#24

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMass Dartmouth is a medium-sized public school situated in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It awarded 12 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend UMass Dartmouth is $13,925 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UMass Dartmouth Economics Report

#25

Emmanuel College Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts
#16 in overall quality

Emmanuel College Massachusetts landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emmanuel Boston has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emmanuel College Massachusetts is $24,411 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Emmanuel College Massachusetts

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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