by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 47,809 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In , economics graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $48,722 and had an average of $21,489 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 2,222 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,939 and $21,344 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,807 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,374 and $23,086 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 35 colleges that offered a degree in economics. That schools that top this list have a program in economics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois”.
Out of the 35 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Principia College landed the #1 spot on the list. Principia is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elsah, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 634 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Forest College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Knox College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Knox is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Out of the 35 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Monmouth College landed the #5 spot on the list. Monmouth is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 15 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Northwestern University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 335 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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%. 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 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #8, Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 387 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economics Report
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 85%.
With a ranking of #11, McKendree University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. McKendree is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Augustana College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 85%.
With a ranking of #13, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Olivet Nazarene University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Northeastern Illinois University
Dominican University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 31 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Governors State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Governors State University is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #22, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
DePaul University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Elmhurst University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Economics Report
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