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2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid

427 Ranked Colleges
28,837 Degrees Awarded
$12,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Economics is the 29th most popular major in the country with 28,837 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

For this year’s “Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 427 colleges that offer a degree in general economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general economics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for general economics students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Economics (With Aid)

1

Out of the 427 schools in the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 362 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for General Economics students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Queens College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 389 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $3,469 for general economics students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at QC

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 330 diplomas to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $5,135 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at University of Florida

4

Out of the 427 schools in the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 352 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also made our “Best General Economics Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $14,321 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read full report on General Economics at UIUC

5
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Baruch College
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Baruch College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid. Baruch College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 97 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Baruch College is $2,264 for General Economics students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at Baruch College

6

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 624 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best General Economics Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for general economics students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Economics at UW - Madison

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 646 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for General Economics students with aid.

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%. 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 General Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

8
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 89 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general economics students with aid list, Rice has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $16,076 for General Economics students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Rice General Economics Report

9
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

With a ranking of #9, Hunter College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 123 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,158 for General Economics students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 General Economics at Hunter College

10
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 528 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $22,006 for General Economics students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Economics at University of Virginia

11

University of California - Irvine ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 394 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for general economics students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine General Economics Report

12
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

With a ranking of #12, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s general economics degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,805 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend CCNY.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at The City College of New York

13

John Jay College of Criminal Justice ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $2,699 for General Economics students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 John Jay General Economics Report

14
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 271 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Florida State also did well on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $9,946 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend Florida State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read full report on General Economics at Florida State University

15

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 154 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our general economics students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Economics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for General Economics students with aid.

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

Full UMN Twin Cities General Economics Report

16

With a ranking of #16, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 195 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,346 for general economics students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, 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 full report on General Economics at University of South Florida - Main Campus

17

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best General Economics Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $22,823 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Economics at Columbia University in the City of New York

18
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general economics degrees to 124 students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington excels when it comes to general economics quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It costs about $14,619 for general economics students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Economics at IU Bloomington

19

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 354 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UT Austin is in the top on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,350 for General Economics students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Economics at UT Austin

20

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 99 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $18,048 for general economics students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%.

Read more about General Economics at UMCP

21

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 26 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,230 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 87%.

Read full report on General Economics at Fresno State

22

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s general economics students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,302 for General Economics students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at California State University - Los Angeles

23
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #23, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 277 ’s general economics degrees in 2020-2021.

Michigan State also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $19,058 for general economics students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 General Economics at Michigan State

24
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s general economics degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also made our “Best General Economics Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $25,046 for general economics students with aid per year to attend UPenn.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Economics at University of Pennsylvania

25

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

BYU excels when it comes to general economics quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best General Economics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,474 for General Economics students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on General Economics at Brigham Young University - Provo

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
31
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
32
33
Binghamton University crest
Binghamton University
Vestal, New York
34
35
36
37
York crest
York College
Jamaica, New York
38
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California
39
40
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
41
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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
42
43
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
44
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
45
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York
46
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Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California
47
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
48
49
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College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, New York
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value General Economics Schools For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
52 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
53 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
54 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
55 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
56 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
57 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
58 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
59 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
60 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
61 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
62 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
63 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
64 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
65 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
Rank College Location

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