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2025 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

384 Colleges in the United States
35,886 Bachelor's Degrees
$53,917 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 384 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 35,886 bachelor's degrees in economics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of economics for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality economics program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for economics students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Economics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Economics

1

University of Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in economics. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of around $38,158 above the typical income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Chicago

2
373 Annual Graduates
$84,932 Median Starting Salary
$45,947 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in economics has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Northwestern University make $31,015 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Northwestern University

3
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in economics needs to look into University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $35,180 more than the standard economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Pennsylvania

4
360 Annual Graduates
$83,135 Median Starting Salary
$71,863 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in economics has to take a look at Columbia University in the City of New York. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York receive $29,218 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Columbia University in the City of New York

5
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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
286 Annual Graduates
$84,311 Median Starting Salary
$52,320 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University get an earnings boost of around $30,394 over the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Vanderbilt University

6
157 Annual Graduates
$84,967 Median Starting Salary
$54,995 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Cornell University earn $31,050 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Cornell University

7
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Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of about $44,732 over the typical income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Duke University

8
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Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Harvard University make $50,076 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University

9

Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University receive $24,264 more than the average economics student.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Johns Hopkins University

10
909 Annual Graduates
$80,446 Median Starting Salary
$28,846 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley make $26,529 more than the average economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Berkeley

11
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Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University receive an earnings boost of about $30,543 above the typical income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Georgetown University

12
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Brown University
Providence, RI

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Brown University get $18,147 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Brown University

13
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Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Stanford University earn a boost of approximately $44,187 above the typical income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Stanford University

14
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Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
196 Annual Graduates
$94,675 Median Starting Salary
$57,635 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College earn $40,758 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Dartmouth College

15
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Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
335 Annual Graduates
$72,099 Median Starting Salary
$71,733 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Boston College receive an earnings boost of around $18,182 above the average income of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Boston College

16
256 Annual Graduates
$76,299 Median Starting Salary
$56,000 Median Student Debt

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of around $22,382 over the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Notre Dame

17
830 Annual Graduates
$62,091 Median Starting Salary
$31,600 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $8,174 more than the standard economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Los Angeles

18

University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $21,041 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Virginia - Main Campus

19
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Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Yale University get an earnings boost of around $28,700 over the average earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University

20
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New York University
New York, NY
540 Annual Graduates
$68,495 Median Starting Salary
$98,783 Median Student Debt

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from New York University earn $14,578 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from New York University

21
608 Annual Graduates
$68,416 Median Starting Salary
$71,716 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,499 over the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

22
696 Annual Graduates
$66,334 Median Starting Salary
$25,864 Median Student Debt

UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at University of California - Santa Barbara get $12,417 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Santa Barbara

23
443 Annual Graduates
$65,344 Median Starting Salary
$20,643 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $11,427 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

24
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Tufts University
Medford, MA

Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics major at Tufts University earn $21,208 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Tufts University

25
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Boston University
Boston, MA
307 Annual Graduates
$55,733 Median Starting Salary
$74,684 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, economics bachelor's recipients typically earn about $55,733 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Boston University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

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27
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Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
28
29
30
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Rice University
Houston, TX
31
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Williams College
Williamstown, MA
32

33

34
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Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
35
36
37
38
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Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
39
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Barnard College
New York, NY
40
41

42

43
44
45
46
47
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Emory University
Atlanta, GA
48
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Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
49
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Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
50

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 384 different United States economics schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
52 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
53 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
54 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
55 Amherst College Amherst, MA
56 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
57 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
58 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
59 American University Washington, DC
60 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
61 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
62 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
63 Villanova University Villanova, PA
64 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
65 Trinity College Hartford, CT
66 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
67 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
68 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
69 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
70 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
71 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
72 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
73 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
74 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
75 Colby College Waterville, ME
76 Lafayette College Easton, PA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Economics students that almost earned our Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
77 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
78 Fordham University Bronx, NY
79 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
80 Connecticut College New London, CT
81 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
82 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
83 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA
84 Bates College Lewiston, ME
85 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
86 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
87 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
88 University at Albany Albany, NY
89 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
90 Haverford College Haverford, PA
91 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
92 Providence College Providence, RI
93 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
94 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
95 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
96 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
97 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
98 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
99 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
100 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
101 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
102 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
103 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
104 Carleton College Northfield, MN
105 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
106 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
107 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
108 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
109 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
110 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
111 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
112 Denison University Granville, OH
113 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
114 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
115 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
116 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
117 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
118 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
119 Smith College Northampton, MA
120 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
121 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
122 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
123 University of Georgia Athens, GA
124 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
125 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
126 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
127 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
128 Clemson University Clemson, SC

Economics by Region

View the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Economics is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Economics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Economics 17,564
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 17,305
International Economics 331
Applied Economics 276
Development Economics & International Development 221
Other Economics 189

Majors Similar to Economics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 41,131
Sociology 25,951
Anthropology 8,349
International Relations & National Security 8,079
General Social Sciences 5,605
Geography & Cartography 3,429
Other Social Sciences 1,402
Urban Studies 866
Sociology & Anthropology 550
Archeology 235

Notes and References

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