2026 Best Economics Schools in District of Columbia
Economics is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for economics students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Economics in District of Columbia
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the economics degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Economics
Leading the list is Georgetown University, our #1 school for economics. Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Roughly 95% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 228 economics students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their economics degree from Georgetown University earn around $81,892 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $16,500.
Read more about the economics program at Georgetown University
George Washington University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best economics schools. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 84% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 122 economics degrees were awarded at George Washington University in the most recent year. Students who receive their economics degree from George Washington University earn around $75,236 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $23,250.
See the full economics program report for George Washington University
A rank of #3 makes American University one of the top schools for economics. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit university. Roughly 76% of students complete a degree within six years here. American University awarded about 100 economics degrees in the most recent data year. Economics graduates of American University earn a median of $72,527 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $22,625.
See the full economics program report for American University
Howard University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best economics schools. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Washington. About 70% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 47 economics students who graduated with this degree at Howard University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the economics program make about $58,495 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in economics from Howard University
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 9 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
