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2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

12 Ranked Colleges
680 Degrees Awarded
$24,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 48,831 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.

Across Washington, there were 730 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,614 and $20,320 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 680 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

The colleges and universities below are the best for washington bachelor’s degree economics students.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 312 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Economics at UW Seattle

#2

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #2 spot on the list. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 82 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $16,529 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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%.

Read more about Economics at Western Washington University

#3

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also took the #6 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $16,358 for washington bachelor’s degree economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington State University Economics Report

#4

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 19 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EWU is $12,607 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

Read more about Economics at EWU

#5

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. This fairly large school is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree economics students list, CWU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $15,397 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend CWU.

Read full report on Economics at CWU

#6

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington
#9 in overall quality

Pacific Lutheran University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking. This small school is located in Tacoma, Washington, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

PLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLU is $23,058 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at PLU

#7

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Whitworth University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Whitworth University is a small school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 19 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Whitworth also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Whitworth University is $25,557 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Whitworth

#8

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Gonzaga University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 36 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Gonzaga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend Gonzaga University is $33,793 for washington bachelor’s degree economics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Gonzaga Economics Report

#9

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking. Seattle University is a medium-sized school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 15 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for Seattle University is $34,802 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Seattle U

#10

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #10, Seattle Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Seattle Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SPU also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Seattle Pacific University is $26,505 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Seattle Pacific University Economics Report

#11

Whitman College

Walla Walla, Washington

Whitman College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Whitman is located in Walla Walla, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree economics students list, Whitman has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $38,672 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Whitman.

The 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Whitman College

#12

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington

University of Puget Sound ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Puget Sound is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 38 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound also took the #5 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Puget Sound is $35,149 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The low 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%. 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.

Read full report on Economics at University of Puget Sound

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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