2025 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in
economics, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #15 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 17 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,706 bachelor's degrees in economics to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The economics bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on economics students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of economics students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for economics to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized economics related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for economics students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Economics in Illinois
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics.
10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Economics
It is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Chicago earn $40,633 more than the standard economics student.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Chicago
Northwestern University is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.
Bachelor's recipients from the economics major at Northwestern University earn $33,490 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Northwestern University
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in economics has to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $7,479 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Wheaton College Illinois is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in economics. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton.
Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Wheaton College Illinois earn $11,447 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Wheaton College Illinois
UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago.
Soon after graduating, economics bachelor's recipients usually make around $37,767 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Illinois at Chicago
