2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k
89
Ranked Colleges
6,166
Degrees Awarded
$7,800
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 49,055 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,736 and had an average of $22,046 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 6,166 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,738 and $21,917 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 89 colleges that offer a degree in economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality economics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the economics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Economics Schools
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 “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region
Out of the 89 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 256 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $-927 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Duke Economics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 272 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Vanderbilt Economics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington and Lee University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Washington and Lee is a small school located in Lexington, Virginia that handed out 63 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee also took the #10 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee is $850 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Economics at Washington and Lee University
Out of the 89 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 419 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #5 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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 Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 330 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $2,857 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Full UF Economics Report
Wake Forest University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 117 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wake Forest University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $5,612 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at Wake Forest University
William & Mary landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 127 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
William & Mary also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $7,507 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Economics at William & Mary
Emory University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 167 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Emory University is $8,976 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Emory University Economics Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 528 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $10,063 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 Economics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Florida State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Florida State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $7,349 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Economics at Florida State University
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 195 students in 2020-2021.
USF Tampa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $5,632 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read more about Economics at University of South Florida - Main Campus
University of Richmond did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. URichmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
URichmond not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $8,606 for southeast region 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Economics at URichmond
Florida International University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Florida International University is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 160 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $4,882 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at Florida International University
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 77 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgia Tech, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $11,712 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 Economics at Georgia Tech
Virginia Military Institute landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. VMI is located in Lexington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Military Institute is $12,429 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Full VMI Economics Report
Virginia Tech landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 102 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $14,003 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
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 1.2% 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%.
Read more about Economics at Virginia Tech
North Carolina State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 42 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $9,448 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full NC State Economics Report
The University of West Florida landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pensacola, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UWF is $3,827 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full UWF Economics Report
With a ranking of #19, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 81 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UGA is $10,688 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at UGA
University of Central Florida ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 49 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $6,256 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full UCF Economics Report
University of North Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and it awarded 19 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UNF is $6,074 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UNF Economics Report
Florida Atlantic University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. FAU is located in Boca Raton, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,262 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend FAU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Read more about Economics at Florida Atlantic University
Clemson University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Clemson is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 145 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Clemson also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Clemson University is $16,650 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Economics at Clemson
University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 65 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,424 for southeast region economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UK.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UK Economics Report
With a ranking of #25, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Appalachian State University is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State is $9,940 for Southeast Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Appalachian State University Economics Report
