40,355
Graduates Per Year
$55K
Average Salary
#15
Most Popular Major
TOP
25
Degree Stats
Popular
40,355
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
788
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
14
Political Science and Government
41,811
15
Economics
40,355
16
Mechanical Engineering
37,343
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Mid East
University of Maryland-College Park
By State
California
University of California-Berkeley
By Conference
Big Ten Conference
University of Maryland-College Park
By School
Cochise County Community College District
If you think life as a government finance analyst, economist, or assets trader sounds interesting, then a degree in economics may just be for you. You could even become the manager of a billion dollar portfolio!
Economics is the 15th most popular degree in America, with 40,355 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #16 Mechanical Engineering, and narrowly lost to #14 Political Science and Government
The degree is offered at a total of 788 colleges across the nation, and is the 25th most widely offered degree. Given that economics is offered at 92% of the Top 100 Best Collegesin America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that 50% of colleges offering economics are public making it a pretty accessible field.
The mid east produces the most economics graduates, largely led by University of Maryland-College Park, while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from University of California-Berkeleyand University of California-Los Angeles.
All that being said, no individual school produces more economics graduates than Cochise County Community College District, which graduated 719 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study economics). More students studied economics as a percentage of total students at Claremont McKenna Collegethan any other college.
We wish you luck on your college search and we hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Economics list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
We wish you luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Economics list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
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#1 Best Colleges for Economics
University of Chicago is a large private university located in Chicago, IL ranked 10thin the nation. It has a total of 7,674 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 6.17% acceptance rate. University of Chicago offers 218 different majors and is best known for its econometrics and quantitative economics, economics, and counseling psychology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $57,642 per year, University of Chicago is exceptionally expensive. 79.52% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $68,100 per year, which is 64% greater than the national median.
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Chicago, IL
WWW.UCHICAGO.EDU
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
19,659
Students
# 10
Ranking
$57,642
Tuition
#2 Best Colleges for Economics
Harvard University is a very large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 3rdin the United States. It has a total of 14,467 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 4.64% acceptance rate. Harvard University offers 375 different majors and is best known for its history, social sciences, and natural sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $47,730 per year, Harvard University is exceptionally high-priced. 77.7% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $89,700 per year, which is 116% greater than the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
www.harvard.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
41,987
Students
# 3
Ranking
$47,730
Tuition
#3 Best Colleges for Economics
University of California-Los Angeles is a very large public university located in Los Angeles, CA ranked 33rdin the US. It has a total of 33,703 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 12.32% acceptance rate. University of California-Los Angeles offers 333 different majors and is best known for its psychology, sociology, and political science and government programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Los Angeles is rather high-priced. 80.62% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $60,700 per year, which is 46% over the national median.
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Los Angeles, CA
www.ucla.edu/
A+
Rating
12%
Acceptance
47,103
Students
# 1
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#4 Best Colleges for Economics
Northwestern University is a very large private university located in Evanston, IL ranked 18thin America. It has a total of 9,906 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting a bit under 10% of applicants. Northwestern University offers 406 different majors and is best known for its manufacturing engineering, journalism, and drama programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,232 per year, Northwestern University is exceptionally pricey. 76.5% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $69,000 per year, which is 66% over the national median.
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Evanston, IL
www.northwestern.edu
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
25,614
Students
# 18
Ranking
$56,232
Tuition
#5 Best Colleges for Economics
Columbia University in the City of New York is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 9thin the United States. It has a total of 8,628 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.45% of applicants. Columbia University in the City of New York offers 467 different majors and is best known for its sustainability studies, art history, and slavic baltic and albanian languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $58,920 per year, Columbia University in the City of New York is exceptionally high-priced. 78.72% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,300 per year, which is 101% above the national median.
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New York, NY
www.columbia.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
33,301
Students
# 9
Ranking
$58,920
Tuition
#6 Best Colleges for Economics
Yale University is a large private university located in New Haven, CT ranked 4thin America. It has a total of 6,748 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.08% of applicants. Yale University offers 297 different majors and is best known for its american studies, religious studies, and history programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,500 per year, Yale University is extremely expensive. 89.63% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,200 per year, which is 100% above the national median.
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New Haven, CT
https://www.yale.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
14,389
Students
# 4
Ranking
$55,500
Tuition
#7 Best Colleges for Economics
University of California-Berkeley is a very large public university located in Berkeley, CA ranked 68thin the nation. It has a total of 32,700 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 16.25% of applicants. University of California-Berkeley offers 315 different majors and is best known for its cellular biology and anatomical sciences, natural resources and conservation, and environmental studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Berkeley is rather costly. 58.68% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $64,700 per year, which is 56% over the national median.
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Berkeley, CA
www.berkeley.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
45,183
Students
# 7
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#8 Best Colleges for Economics
New York University is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 25thin the nation. It has a total of 29,902 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting more or less 1 in 6 applicants. New York University offers 564 different majors and is best known for its drama, radio television and digital communication, and management information systems programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $50,684 per year, New York University is very pricey. 73.93% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,900 per year, which is 49% greater than the national median.
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New York, NY
www.nyu.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
58,091
Students
# 25
Ranking
$50,684
Tuition
#9 Best Colleges for Economics
Princeton University is a mid-sized private university located in Princeton, NJ ranked 5thin America. It has a total of 5,535 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.78% of applicants. Princeton University offers 125 different majors and is best known for its ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and classics and classical languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,870 per year, Princeton University is exceptionally high-priced. 88.56% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $74,700 per year, which is 80% greater than the national median.
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Princeton, NJ
www.princeton.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
8,720
Students
# 5
Ranking
$51,870
Tuition
#10 Best Colleges for Economics
Vanderbilt University is a large private university located in Nashville, TN ranked 17thin the US. It has a total of 6,974 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 9.12% of applicants. Vanderbilt University offers 245 different majors and is best known for its teacher education and professional development, secondary education and teaching, and social sciences programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $50,800 per year, Vanderbilt University is exceptionally pricey. 86.73% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $69,000 per year, which is 66% over the national median.
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Nashville, TN
www.vanderbilt.edu
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
13,634
Students
# 17
Ranking
$50,800
Tuition
#11 Best Colleges for Economics
Duke University is a large private university located in Durham, NC ranked 6thin America. It has a total of 7,338 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 7.6% acceptance rate. Duke University offers 242 different majors and is best known for its public policy analysis, computer engineering, and education programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,880 per year, Duke University is extremely high-priced. 94.41% of students graduate starting the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $84,400 per year, which is 103% over the national median.
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Durham, NC
WWW.DUKE.EDU
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
18,159
Students
# 6
Ranking
$55,880
Tuition
#12 Best Colleges for Economics
Williams College is a small private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, MA ranked 26thin the US. It has a total of 2,237 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 12.6% of applicants. Williams College offers 38 different majors and is best known for its chinese language and literature, near and middle eastern studies, and comparative literature programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 4th, and 10th respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,970 per year, Williams College is extremely costly. 92.56% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $59,000 per year, which is 42% above the national median.
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Williamstown, MA
https://www.williams.edu
A+
Rating
13%
Acceptance
2,291
Students
# 26
Ranking
$56,970
Tuition
#13 Best Colleges for Economics
Boston College is a large private university located in Chestnut Hill, MA ranked 40thin the US. It has a total of 10,369 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 27.22% of applicants. Boston College offers 176 different majors and is best known for its applied psychology, operations management and supervision, and theological and ministerial studies programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,780 per year, Boston College is extremely costly. 89.53% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $72,500 per year, which is 75% above the national median.
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Chestnut Hill, MA
www.bc.edu
A+
Rating
27%
Acceptance
15,981
Students
# 38
Ranking
$56,780
Tuition
#14 Best Colleges for Economics
University of Wisconsin-Madison is a very large public university located in Madison, WI ranked 106thin the US. It has a total of 34,640 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 54.41% acceptance rate. University of Wisconsin-Madison offers 492 different majors and is best known for its spanish language and literature, genetics, and french language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $9,273 for in-state students and $36,333 for those from out-of-state, University of Wisconsin-Madison is rather costly. 81.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,200 per year, which is 35% above the national median.
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Madison, WI
www.wisc.edu
A
Rating
54%
Acceptance
47,392
Students
# 14
Ranking
$36,333
Tuition
#15 Best Colleges for Economics
Johns Hopkins University is a very large private university located in Baltimore, MD ranked 7thin the nation. It has a total of 8,185 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 11.17% of applicants. Johns Hopkins University offers 362 different majors and is best known for its public health, neuroscience, and biophysics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,350 per year, Johns Hopkins University is extremely costly. 83.58% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $73,200 per year, which is 76% above the national median.
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Baltimore, MD
www.jhu.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
33,543
Students
# 7
Ranking
$55,350
Tuition
#16 Best Colleges for Economics
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a very large public university located in Ann Arbor, MI ranked 37thin the US. It has a total of 31,206 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 22.91% of applicants. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers 433 different majors and is best known for its experimental psychology, data modeling and database administration, and german language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $15,230 for students from Michigan and $50,872 for those from out-of-state, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is extremely expensive. 86.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, joining the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $63,400 per year, which is 53% above the national median.
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Ann Arbor, MI
https://umich.edu/
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
48,218
Students
# 2
Ranking
$50,872
Tuition
#17 Best Colleges for Economics
University of Virginia-Main Campus is a very large public university located in Charlottesville, VA ranked 45thin the United States. It has a total of 18,983 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 23.94% of applicants. University of Virginia-Main Campus offers 210 different majors and is best known for its systems engineering, liberal arts and sciences, and management sciences and quantitative methods programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $14,836 for students from Virginia and $47,257 for those from out-of-state, University of Virginia-Main Campus is very pricey. 88.79% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,200 per year, which is 47% above the national median.
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Charlottesville, VA
https://www.virginia.edu
A+
Rating
24%
Acceptance
28,593
Students
# 3
Ranking
$47,257
Tuition
#18 Best Colleges for Economics
Brandeis University is a mid-sized private university located in Waltham, MA ranked 61stin America. It has a total of 3,871 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 29.9% of applicants. Brandeis University offers 111 different majors and is best known for its near and middle eastern studies, experimental psychology, and public policy analysis programs (nationally ranked 1st, 4th, and 4th respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,340 per year, Brandeis University is extremely pricey. 87.1% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $57,900 per year, which is 39% above the national median.
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Waltham, MA
www.brandeis.edu/
A+
Rating
30%
Acceptance
6,400
Students
# 57
Ranking
$55,340
Tuition
#19 Best Colleges for Economics
Stanford University is a large private university located in Stanford, CA ranked 2ndin America. It has a total of 8,290 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 4.34% of applicants. Stanford University offers 227 different majors and is best known for its human biology, industrial management, and earth sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $52,857 per year, Stanford University is very high-priced. 89.2% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $94,000 per year, which is 126% over the national median.
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Stanford, CA
www.stanford.edu/
A+
Rating
4%
Acceptance
20,993
Students
# 2
Ranking
$52,857
Tuition
#20 Best Colleges for Economics
Claremont McKenna College is a small private liberal arts college located in Claremont, CA ranked 55thin the nation. It has a total of 1,355 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 10.3% of applicants. Claremont McKenna College offers 56 different majors and is best known for its systems science and theory, experimental psychology, and industrial management programs (nationally ranked 4th, 9th, and 11th respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,190 per year, Claremont McKenna College is extremely expensive. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $72,900 per year, which is 76% greater than the national median.
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Claremont, CA
www.cmc.edu
A+
Rating
10%
Acceptance
1,358
Students
# 51
Ranking
$56,190
Tuition
#21 Best Colleges for Economics
Dartmouth College is a mid-sized private university located in Hanover, NH ranked 14thin the United States. It has a total of 4,797 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.93% of applicants. Dartmouth College offers 113 different majors and is best known for its engineering science, latin american studies, and native american studies programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,605 per year, Dartmouth College is extremely pricey. 90.38% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $75,500 per year, which is 82% above the national median.
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Hanover, NH
www.dartmouth.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
7,081
Students
# 14
Ranking
$55,605
Tuition
#22 Best Colleges for Economics
University of California-Santa Barbara is a very large public university located in Santa Barbara, CA ranked 97thin America. It has a total of 24,638 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting narrowly over 2/7 of applicants. University of California-Santa Barbara offers 182 different majors and is best known for its actuarial science, sociology, and experimental psychology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Santa Barbara is rather high-priced. 64.93% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,300 per year, which is 33% above the national median.
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Santa Barbara, CA
www.ucsb.edu
A
Rating
30%
Acceptance
27,685
Students
# 12
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#23 Best Colleges for Economics
Georgetown University is a large private university located in Washington, DC ranked 13thin America. It has a total of 8,325 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 14.36% acceptance rate. Georgetown University offers 184 different majors and is best known for its science technology and society, international economics, and political science and government programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,440 per year, Georgetown University is very high-priced. 87.04% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $93,500 per year, which is 125% greater than the national median.
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Washington, DC
www.georgetown.edu
A+
Rating
14%
Acceptance
22,534
Students
# 13
Ranking
$55,440
Tuition
#24 Best Colleges for Economics
University of Pennsylvania is a very large private university located in Philadelphia, PA ranked 8thin the US. It has a total of 14,000 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.66% of applicants. University of Pennsylvania offers 355 different majors and is best known for its finance, management sciences and quantitative methods, and philosophy programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,156 per year, University of Pennsylvania is exceptionally costly. 81.13% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $85,900 per year, which is 107% over the national median.
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Philadelphia, PA
www.upenn.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
29,813
Students
# 8
Ranking
$51,156
Tuition
#25 Best Colleges for Economics
Boston University is a very large private university located in Boston, MA ranked 35thin the US. It has a total of 23,235 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 18.94% of applicants. Boston University offers 433 different majors and is best known for its counseling psychology, athletic training, and archeology programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $54,720 per year, Boston University is exceptionally pricey. 77.85% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,300 per year, which is 57% greater than the national median.
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Boston, MA
www.bu.edu
A+
Rating
19%
Acceptance
42,779
Students
# 34
Ranking
$54,720
Tuition