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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois

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Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Economics is the 19th most popular major in the country with 47,809 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 35 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in economics.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois”.

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.

Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois economics students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Economics in Illinois

1
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 777 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 UChicago Economics Report

2
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Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s 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.

Read full report on Economics at Principia

3
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Out of the 35 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #3 spot on the list. Lake Forest College is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 36 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Economics at Lake Forest College

4
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

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

Read more about Economics at Knox College

5
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Monmouth College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Located in Monmouth, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2021-2022.

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. 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%.

Full Monmouth College Economics Report

6
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 421 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Northwestern University

7
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Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Economics Report

8

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 495 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economics Report

9
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Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Illinois College

10
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Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois Wesleyan University is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Economics at Illinois Wesleyan University

11
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McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, McKendree University did quite well on the 2023 Schools 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 ’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%.

Read full report on Economics at McKendree

12
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Augustana College

13
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at North Central College

14

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 127 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago

15
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Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 18 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Olivet Nazarene University

16

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 ’s 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%.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Economics Report

17
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Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full Roosevelt University Economics Report

18
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students 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 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 Dominican University

19

Illinois State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students 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%.

Read more about Economics at Illinois State University

20
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read more about Economics at DePaul University

21

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s economics degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. 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.

Read more about Economics at SIUC

22

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at WIU

23
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Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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

Full EIU Economics Report

24

With a ranking of #24, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 35 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Northern Illinois University

25
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Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Economics Major in Illinois ranking. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

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. 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%.

Read more about Economics at GSU

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