2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
Economics is the 18th most popular major in the country with 48,831 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 6,771 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,903 and $22,924 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,709 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 99 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Featured schools near , edit
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 the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #1 spot on the list. UW - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #3 spot on the list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 57 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend UW - Whitewater.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. UW - Green Bay is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
Read more about Economics at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WIU is $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 8 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
Read more about Economics at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
With a ranking of #10, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.
With a ranking of #11, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
Read full report on Economics at Northern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UIS is $12,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
Read more about Economics at University of Illinois at Springfield
Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. GVSU is a large public school situated in Allendale, Michigan. It awarded 20 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 10 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
Read full report on Economics at Western Michigan University
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Kenosha, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend UW - Parkside.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Purdue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Read full report on Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UWM is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Youngstown State University is a fairly large school located in Youngstown, Ohio that handed out 3 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Youngstown State University is $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students.
With a ranking of #21, University of Southern Indiana did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Southern Indiana is a fairly large public school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 18 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Read full report on Economics at University of Southern Indiana
With a ranking of #22, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
Read full report on Economics at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Akron, Ohio. It awarded 16 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Akron Main Campus is $17,792 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.
Read full report on Economics at University of Akron Main Campus
Cleveland State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,278 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Cleveland State University.
Eastern Michigan University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Eastern Michigan University.
Narrow Results by Region
Southeast
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Southeast Region
Rocky Mountains
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Rocky Mountains Region
Middle Atlantic
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Middle Atlantic Region
Southwest
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Southwest Region
New England
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the New England Region
Plains States
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Plains States Region
Far Western US
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Far Western US Region
Great Lakes
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
General Social Sciences
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Social Sciences in the Great Lakes Region
Archeology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Archeology in the Great Lakes Region
Geography & Cartography
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in the Great Lakes Region
Political Science & Government
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in the Great Lakes Region
Urban Studies
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Other Social Sciences
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Other Social Sciences in the Great Lakes Region
Anthropology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Anthropology in the Great Lakes Region
Criminology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Criminology in the Great Lakes Region
International Relations & National Security
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for International Relations & National Security in the Great Lakes Region
Sociology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Sociology in the Great Lakes Region
Sociology & Anthropology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Sociology & Anthropology in the Great Lakes Region
Switch to a More Focused Major
General Economics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Econometrics & Quantitative Economics in the Great Lakes Region
International Economics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for International Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Applied Economics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Applied Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Development Economics & International Development
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Development Economics & International Development in the Great Lakes Region
Other Economics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Other Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Economics Schools
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students with family income less than $30k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics (Income Over $110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students with family income exceeding $110k in the Great Lakes Region
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Economics Graduates in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Economics students getting aid in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students with family income $30-$48k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students with family income $75-$110k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Economics students in the Great Lakes Region
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.
Featured Economics Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
