by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 49,055 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,950 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,930 and $21,274 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,250 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,112 and $26,227 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 35 colleges that offered a degree in economics. That schools that top this list have a program in economics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Austin College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region. Austin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sherman, Texas. It awarded 20 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 35 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Methodist University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 195 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 101 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 35 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Christian University landed the #5 spot on the list. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #6, Southwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. Georgetown, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is a small public school situated in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It awarded 3 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 354 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Tulsa came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Tulsa is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #10, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 202 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 283 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Arizona landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school handed out 166 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
University of Dallas landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Irving, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 225 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, 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 86%.
Texas Tech University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas Tech University is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 55 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
University of St. Thomas landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of St. Thomas is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 9 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saint Edward’s University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. St. Edward’s University is a small school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 9 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Hardin - Simmons University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Abilene, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Economics at Hardin - Simmons University
The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad 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 ranking of #22, Lubbock Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. LCU is a small school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 2 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, St. Mary’s University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region list. St. Mary’s is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 5 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Arizona State University - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
University of North Texas landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 43 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
