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2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

18 Ranked Colleges
384 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 652 people earned their degree in applied economics, making the major the 497th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 384 applied economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in applied economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality applied economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the applied economics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Applied Economics Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Applied Economics (Income $30-$48k)

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,418 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

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 freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UMN Twin Cities Applied Economics Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied economics students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $13,782 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Read more about Applied Economics at Carnegie Mellon

#3

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York
#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Farmingdale State College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Farmingdale State College is a fairly large school located in Farmingdale, New York that handed out 14 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is $5,539 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Applied Economics at Farmingdale State College

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,034 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USU.

Read more about Applied Economics at USU

#5

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

University of Arizona also took the #11 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $11,466 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Applied Economics at University of Arizona

#6

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Virginia Tech landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied economics students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,010 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Applied Economics at Virginia Tech

#7

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s applied economics degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $12,495 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Applied Economics at University of Northern Iowa

#8

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Pitzer College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s applied economics degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Pitzer did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,693 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pitzer College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Read more about Applied Economics at Pitzer College

#9

Binghamton University

Vestal, New York
#4 in overall quality

Binghamton University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Vestal, New York, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Binghamton University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Binghamton University is $15,226 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 92%.

Read more about Applied Economics at Binghamton University

#10

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#13 in overall quality

St Catherine University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. St. Kate’s is a small school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 2 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Kate’s also took the #13 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Kate’s is $17,569 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full St Catherine University Applied Economics Report

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCO is a public institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCO also took the #17 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Oklahoma is $13,381 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Applied Economics at UCO

#16 in overall quality

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. BGSU is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, BGSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $15,533 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Applied Economics at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

#18 in overall quality

University of Akron Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Akron, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s applied economics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

University of Akron Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $15,803 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Applied Economics at University of Akron Main Campus

#14

Ursinus College

Collegeville, Pennsylvania
#7 in overall quality

Ursinus College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Ursinus also made our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Ursinus is $21,028 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 85%.

Read full report on Applied Economics at Ursinus

#15

Ithaca College

Ithaca, New York
#12 in overall quality

Ithaca College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ithaca College is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

Ithaca did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $23,356 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ithaca College.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ithaca College Applied Economics Report

#16

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s applied economics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $25,842 for bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%.

Full DePaul University Applied Economics Report

#17

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s applied economics degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

USFCA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Francisco is $29,186 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Read full report on Applied Economics at USFCA

#18

Bryant University

Smithfield, Rhode Island
#10 in overall quality

Bryant University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Applied Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bryant is a small school located in Smithfield, Rhode Island that handed out 8 bachelors’s applied economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree applied economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Bryant has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Applied Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $33,173 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bryant.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Full Bryant University Applied Economics Report

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.

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