Top 10 Universities for Economics in the US

Every year, millions of students across the globe dream of pursuing a degree in medicine, law and engineering. But over the last few years, the popularity for Economic Studies has risen considerably with more and more students willing to explore a career in the field of economics.

Economics is not just a study of how people spend money but it is a detailed research of how people, organizations and society use limited resources like food, minerals, water, money, manpower, etc. Economic Studies can be broadly classified as micro economy that focuses on how individuals, families or particular institutions manage resources, and macro economy that focuses on resource management strategies of nations and larger economies.

A degree in economics can set you on a career path to becoming an esteemed economist in various government agencies as well as private organizations. When it comes to Economic Studies, United States of America is considered to be a hub, thanks to a handful of brilliant universities that offer world class Economics courses to its students.

Without any further delay let’s check out the top 10 universities for Economics courses in the US:

  1. Columbia University:

Last but not the least, Columbia University has one of the top ranked Economics programs in the country. Apart from offering B.A. degree in Economics at the undergraduate level, it also offers M.A. and Ph.D programs at the graduate level.   

Location: Manhattan, New York City

Tuition fee: $67,263*

Expected Average Salary: $57,600*

  1. University of Pennsylvania:

The Department of Economics in the University of Pennsylvania, popularly called as Penn Economics, is a hit among students aspiring to be economists. It offers undergraduate programs like B.A. degree in Economics, Mathematical Economics and Economic policy. Apart from undergraduate courses, Penn Economics is known for its Ph.D programs at graduate level.  

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuition fee: $64,965*

Expected Average Salary: $44,200*

  1. Northwestern University:

Known for providing a platform for students to be successful in government agencies, banking and industries, Northwestern University has an admirable Economics program for undergraduates and graduates. Most undergraduates opt for double majors i.e. B.A. degree in Economics along with majors in Industrial Engineering, Political Science, History, Mathematics, and Psychology. It also offers Ph.D and M.A. programs at the graduate level.

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Tuition fee: $65,473*

Expected Average Salary: $50,000*

  1. University of California—Berkeley:

Home to America’s first Department of Economics, UC Berkeley is a sought after university by Economics aspirants. With emphasis in research, UC Berkeley is known for its role in the advancement of women in academia. It offers an array of B.A. degrees in Economics at the undergraduate level. It also offers Ph.D programs in Economics.   

Location: Berkeley, California

Tuition fee: $32,845*

Expected Average Salary: $54,700*

  1. Yale University:

Yale is a part of the prestigious Ivy league schools, and is considered to be a great place to pursue a degree in Economics. At the undergraduate level, Yale offers B.A. in Economics, Economics/Math, and Ethics, Politics and Economics (EP&E). It also offers graduate programs like M.A. and Ph.D.

Location: New Haven, Connecticut

Tuition fee: $63,633*

Expected Average Salary: $50,000*

  1. Stanford University:

Like the other universities in the list, Stanford University is considered to be one of the best in the world for Economic Studies. It has the highest number of Nobel laureates in the field of Economics. Stanford offers Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the undergraduate level as well as M.A. degree, Ph.D degree and Joint Degree Programs at the graduate level.   

Location: Stanford, California

Tuition fee: $61,648*

Expected Average Salary: $61,300*

  1. University of Chicago:

The Economics program of the University of Chicago is so famous that it has an incredible reputation in banking and government agencies. It offers an undergraduate program of B.A. in Economics as well as extremely tough graduate Ph.D. programs. It is said that only 20-25 students get selected from a range of 600-700 applicants every year.

Location:  Chicago, Illinois

Tuition fee: $66,291*

Expected Average Salary: $45,600*

  1. Princeton University:

Princeton University proudly boasts of one of the world’s best Economics programs that attracts a lot of interest among the students. It offers undergraduate programs as well as graduate and doctoral degrees. Students are required to write Junior Independent paper and Senior Independent theses over the course of the program. 75% of Economics majors find jobs in banking, finance and investment sector while the rest pursue law, medicine and economics.  

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Tuition fee: $59,273*

Expected Average Salary: $56,100*

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology aka MIT is not far behind Harvard when it comes to offering incredible degree programs to Economics aspirants. MIT offers undergraduate programs like Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a wide range of Ph.D programs in General Economics and Theory, Industrial Organization, Statistics and Econometrics, etc. Students are also exposed to Undergraduate Economics Association (UEA) that facilitates informal discussions about career, current economic policies, etc., between students and faculty.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Tuition fee: $62,073*

Expected Average Salary: $68,600*

  1. Harvard University:

Considered to be one of the best universities for almost every major, it is no surprise that Harvard University is the place to be for Economics enthusiasts. The Department of Economics at Harvard University offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Math and Economics as well as graduate programs like Ph.D. in Business Economics, Political Economy and Government, Public Policy, and Health Policy. Being an Ivy League school, the rate of acceptance is very low.  

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Tuition fee: $62,440*

Expected Average Salary: $55,300*

Getting into one of these top 10 Economics programs is certainly no cakewalk. Get cracking and do whatever it takes to fulfill your dream of becoming an economist. The best courses are waiting for you.

*The tuition fees and expected average salary mentioned above are for undergraduate courses and are subjected to change every year.