2023 Most Popular Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
151
Ranked Colleges
6,916
Degrees Awarded
$34,300
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Great Lakes region, there were 6,916 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,027 and $23,639 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 151 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in economics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in economics.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region economics students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Economics in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 864 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 more about Economics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 728 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 626 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full UChicago Economics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 563 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Economics at UIUC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 402 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Northwestern
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 379 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 91%.
Read more about Economics at Michigan State
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 331 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Economics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Notre Dame landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 260 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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 full report on Economics at University of Notre Dame
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 196 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Purdue Economics Report
Miami University - Oxford landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 155 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Economics at Miami University - Oxford
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 129 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Economics Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Economics Report
DePauw University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Greencastle, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 90 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full DePauw University Economics Report
Denison University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Denison University is located in Granville, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Economics at Denison University
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 72 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Full OHIO Athens Economics Report
Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Case Western is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.5% 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 Case Western Reserve University
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Economics at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Marquette University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 51 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.
Full Marquette University Economics Report
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Economics at Wayne State
Kent State University at Kent landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State University at Kent is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 49 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Kent State Economics Report
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 46 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Economics Report
DePaul University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s economics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Economics at DePaul University
With a ranking of #23, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s economics degrees to qualified 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%.
Read more about Economics at Illinois State
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Economics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Ball State Economics Report
college factual
