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2021 Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

185 Colleges
37,777 Bachelor's Degrees
$38,856 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsIn <nil>, 37,777 people earned their bachelor's in economics, making the major the #15 most popular in the United States.

This year's Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 185 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the economics program at the school, affordability, and presence of non-traditional students. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.


 

2021 Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students.

Top 25 Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

Columbia University in the City of New York has taken the #1 spot in this year's economics ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.9% of Columbia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 6,172 students at Columbia that take at least one class online. About 4,854 of the students at Columbia are attending part time.

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2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University earned the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Georgetown also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

About 0.2% of Georgetown students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 4,343 students at Georgetown that take at least one class online. About 5,553 of the students at Georgetown are attending part time.

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3

Johns Hopkins University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Johns Hopkins is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at Johns Hopkins is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. 14,847 students at Johns Hopkins are exclusively online. About 14,794 of the students at Johns Hopkins are attending part time.

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4
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Our rankings recognize Boston College as the #4 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Boston College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. Approximately 6,590 students take at least one class online at Boston College. About 1,916 of the students at Boston College are attending part time.

Full Economics at Boston College Report

5

The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Virginia - Main Campus. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Virginia also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. There are approximately 4,175 students at University of Virginia that take at least one class online. 2,758 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of Virginia - Main Campus

6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Our rankings recognize Vanderbilt University as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville. Vanderbilt excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at Vanderbilt is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 821 students at Vanderbilt that take at least one class online. About 1,196 of the students at Vanderbilt are attending part time.

Full Economics at Vanderbilt University Report

7
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, NYU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at NYU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,614 students at NYU that take at least one class online. 8,829 students are part time.

Full Economics at New York University Report

8

Cornell University landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Cornell is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.4% of Cornell students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 2,837 students take at least one class online at Cornell. 574 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at Cornell University

9

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UW - Madison is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at UW - Madison is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 11,375 students take at least one class online at UW - Madison. About 4,683 of the students at UW - Madison are attending part time.

Full Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, U-M is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.2% of U-M students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 15,737 students take at least one class online at U-M. 3,568 of U-M students are attending part time.

Full Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

11

The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UC Berkeley also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. There are approximately 26,398 students at UC Berkeley that take at least one class online. About 4,099 of the students at UC Berkeley are attending part time.

Full Economics at University of California - Berkeley Report

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earned the #12 spot in our 2021 rankings. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign. UIUC excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. There are approximately 35,475 students at UIUC that take at least one class online. There are roughly 10,007 part time students in attendance at UIUC.

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13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earned the #13 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a very large student population. UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.6% of UMN Twin Cities students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,237 students take at least one class online at UMN Twin Cities. 13,655 students are part time.

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14

Our rankings recognize University of California - Los Angeles as the #14 school in this year's rankings. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UCLA also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.7% of UCLA students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 25,859 students take at least one class online at UCLA. 2,161 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Los Angeles

15

Our rankings recognize University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the #15 school in this year's rankings. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at UNC Chapel Hill is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,990 students at UNC Chapel Hill that take at least one class online. 5,151 students are part time.

Full Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

16

George Washington University landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GWU also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

The student loan default rate at GWU is lower than is typical, just 0.4% of students default in three years. 5,340 students at GWU are exclusively online. There are roughly 8,798 part time students in attendance at GWU.

Full Economics at George Washington University Report

17

University of Massachusetts Amherst earned the #17 spot in our 2021 rankings. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst. UMass Amherst also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at UMass Amherst is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. 4,105 of UMass Amherst students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 6,786 part time students in attendance at UMass Amherst.

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18

The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #18 in this year's ranking. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UT Austin also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. There are approximately 23,198 students at UT Austin that take at least one class online. There are roughly 3,479 part time students in attendance at UT Austin.

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19

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #19 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. UCSB is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UCSB also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.5% of UCSB students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 3,596 students take at least one class online at UCSB. 880 of UCSB students are attending part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Santa Barbara

20

Our rankings recognize Texas A&M University - College Station as the #20 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a very large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. Approximately 24,343 students take at least one class online at Texas A&M College Station. There are roughly 9,943 part time students in attendance at Texas A&M College Station.

Read full report on Economics at Texas A&M University - College Station

21

Our rankings recognize Southern Methodist University as the #21 school in this year's rankings. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SMU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at SMU is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. 912 students at SMU are exclusively online. About 3,019 of the students at SMU are attending part time.

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22

The #22 spot in this year's ranking belongs to George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. There are roughly 12,712 part time students in attendance at GMU.

Read full report on Economics at George Mason University

23

University of Southern California landed the #23 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

The student loan default rate at USC is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 15,291 students at USC that take at least one class online. About 6,687 of the students at USC are attending part time.

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24
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University comes in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SCU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.3% of SCU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,240 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at Santa Clara University

25

Our rankings recognize Northeastern University as the #25 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northeastern also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

About 0.5% of Northeastern students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 7,987 students at Northeastern that take at least one class online. About 1,267 of the students at Northeastern are attending part time.

Full Economics at Northeastern University Report

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
27
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
28 Emory University Atlanta, GA
29 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
30 Villanova University Villanova, PA
31 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
32 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
33 Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA
34 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
35 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
36 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
37 Binghamton University Vestal, NY

Economics by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Economics schools in a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

Economics is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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