2023 Most Popular Colleges for Economics
925
Ranked Colleges
49,055
Degrees Awarded
$37,400
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Economics Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Economics Major” ranking looked at 925 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in economics.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The economics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Economics Major”.
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.
Most Well Attended Economics Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Economics Major”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Economics
Out of the 925 schools in the Most Well Attended Economics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 884 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Economics at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 925 schools in the Most Well Attended Economics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 864 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UW - Madison Economics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major list. University of California - 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.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Economics at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Economics Major. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 728 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 925 schools in the Most Well Attended Economics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot on the list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 723 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UCSB Economics Report
University of California - Davis landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 661 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at UC Davis
With a ranking of #7, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 626 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 563 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Economics at UIUC
New York University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 548 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full NYU Economics Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 528 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Economics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #11. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 513 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UMCP Economics Report
University of California - Irvine ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 490 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UC Irvine Economics Report
University of Connecticut did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #13. University of Connecticut is located in Storrs, Connecticut and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 481 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 UCONN
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 480 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Economics at University of California - San Diego
Boston University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #15. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 452 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read full report on Economics at Boston University
Boston College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 445 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Economics at Boston College
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 445 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 89%.
Read more about Economics at UMass Amherst
With a ranking of #18, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 458 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 430 diplomas to qualified ’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Economics at The University of Texas at Austin
Utah State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking, coming in at #20. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 424 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at USU
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 419 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read full report on Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #22, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 417 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Economics at UMN Twin Cities
With a ranking of #23, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 417 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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%.
Full Johns Hopkins Economics Report
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 404 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 93%.
Read more about Economics at Rutgers New Brunswick
Northwestern University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Economics Major ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 402 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, 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. 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 full report on Economics at Northwestern
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