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2021 Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

185 Colleges
37,777 Bachelor's Degrees
$38,856 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsIn <nil>, 37,777 people earned their bachelor's in economics, making the major the #15 most popular in the United States.

This year's Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 185 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the economics program at the school, affordability, and presence of non-traditional students. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

2021 Best Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students.

Top 25 Economics Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

Columbia University in the City of New York has taken the #1 spot in this year's economics ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.9% of Columbia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 6,172 students at Columbia that take at least one class online. 4,854 students are part time.

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2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University earned the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. Georgetown also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at Georgetown is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. There are approximately 4,343 students at Georgetown that take at least one class online. There are roughly 5,553 part time students in attendance at Georgetown.

Read full report on Economics at Georgetown University

3

Johns Hopkins University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Johns Hopkins is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.6% of Johns Hopkins students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 14,847 of Johns Hopkins students are exclusively distance learners. 14,794 students are part time.

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4
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Our rankings recognize Boston College as the #4 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Boston College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

About 0.5% of Boston College students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 6,590 students at Boston College that take at least one class online. 1,916 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at Boston College

5

The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Virginia - Main Campus. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Virginia also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. There are approximately 4,175 students at University of Virginia that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,758 part time students in attendance at University of Virginia.

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6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Our rankings recognize Vanderbilt University as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville. Vanderbilt excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. Approximately 821 students take at least one class online at Vanderbilt. There are roughly 1,196 part time students in attendance at Vanderbilt.

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7
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, NYU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 21,614 students take at least one class online at NYU. 8,829 of NYU students are attending part time.

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8

Cornell University landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Cornell is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.4%. There are approximately 2,837 students at Cornell that take at least one class online. 574 of Cornell students are attending part time.

Full Economics at Cornell University Report

9

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UW - Madison is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.2%. Approximately 11,375 students take at least one class online at UW - Madison. There are roughly 4,683 part time students in attendance at UW - Madison.

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10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. U-M is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, U-M is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at U-M is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 15,737 students take at least one class online at U-M. There are roughly 3,568 part time students in attendance at U-M.

Read full report on Economics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

11

The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UC Berkeley also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at UC Berkeley is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 26,398 students at UC Berkeley that take at least one class online. 4,099 students are part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Berkeley

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earned the #12 spot in our 2021 rankings. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign. UIUC excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at UIUC is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. There are approximately 35,475 students at UIUC that take at least one class online. About 10,007 of the students at UIUC are attending part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earned the #13 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population. UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Economics list.

The student loan default rate at UMN Twin Cities is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 21,237 students take at least one class online at UMN Twin Cities. About 13,655 of the students at UMN Twin Cities are attending part time.

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14

Our rankings recognize University of California - Los Angeles as the #14 school in this year's rankings. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UCLA also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.7% of UCLA students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 25,859 students take at least one class online at UCLA. There are roughly 2,161 part time students in attendance at UCLA.

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15

Our rankings recognize University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the #15 school in this year's rankings. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at UNC Chapel Hill is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 6,990 students take at least one class online at UNC Chapel Hill. 5,151 students are part time.

Full Economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

16

George Washington University landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GWU also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

About 0.4% of GWU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 5,340 of GWU students are exclusively distance learners. 8,798 of GWU students are attending part time.

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17

University of Massachusetts Amherst earned the #17 spot in our 2021 rankings. UMass Amherst is a very large public school located in the suburb of Amherst. UMass Amherst also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

About 0.9% of UMass Amherst students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,105 students at UMass Amherst are exclusively online. About 6,786 of the students at UMass Amherst are attending part time.

Full Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst Report

18

The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #18 in this year's ranking. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UT Austin also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at UT Austin is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 23,198 students at UT Austin that take at least one class online. About 3,479 of the students at UT Austin are attending part time.

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19

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #19 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UCSB also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at UCSB is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 3,596 students take at least one class online at UCSB. About 880 of the students at UCSB are attending part time.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Santa Barbara

20

Our rankings recognize Texas A&M University - College Station as the #20 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a very large student population.

About 0.6% of Texas A&M College Station students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 24,343 students take at least one class online at Texas A&M College Station. There are roughly 9,943 part time students in attendance at Texas A&M College Station.

Full Economics at Texas A&M University - College Station Report

21

Our rankings recognize Southern Methodist University as the #21 school in this year's rankings. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SMU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. 912 of SMU students are exclusively distance learners. 3,019 of SMU students are attending part time.

Read full report on Economics at Southern Methodist University

22

The #22 spot in this year's ranking belongs to George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.

About 0.8% of GMU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,490 students at GMU that take at least one class online. 12,712 students are part time.

Full Economics at George Mason University Report

23

University of Southern California landed the #23 spot in our 2021 best economics schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

About 0.5% of USC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 15,291 students take at least one class online at USC. 6,687 students are part time.

Full Economics at University of Southern California Report

24
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University comes in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SCU also did well on our Best Colleges for Economics list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.3%. About 1,240 of the students at SCU are attending part time.

Read full report on Economics at Santa Clara University

25

Our rankings recognize Northeastern University as the #25 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northeastern also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Economics ranking.

The student loan default rate at Northeastern is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 7,987 students at Northeastern that take at least one class online. There are roughly 1,267 part time students in attendance at Northeastern.

Full Economics at Northeastern University Report

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
27
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Economics Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
28 Emory University Atlanta, GA
29 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
30 Villanova University Villanova, PA
31 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
32 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
33 Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA
34 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
35 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
36 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
37 Binghamton University Vestal, NY

Economics by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Economics schools in 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

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

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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