2026 Best Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Economics undergraduate certificate degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 937 colleges by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Each school below is scored on factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
So you can compare your options, Business Degree Central analyzed schools to compile this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools for value:
University Of Missouri St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best-value Economics undergraduate certificate degree schools in the United States. This public school is set in Saint Louis, MO. Students from in state pay about $15,120 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $37,620. University Of Missouri St Louis Economics students take on a median of $22,962 in debt. University Of Missouri St Louis alumni report median earnings of $53,037 a decade after entry. That is a strong return on a $22,962 median debt. University Of Missouri St Louis admits about 63% of applicants. Get the full University Of Missouri St Louis report
Bard College At Simons Rock came in at #2 on this year's best-value Economics ranking in the United States. See the full Bard College At Simons Rock profile
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Pennsylvania Western University earned it the #3 place in the United States. Read more about Pennsylvania Western University
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Princeton University earned it the #4 place in the United States. Get the full Princeton University report
A rank of #5 makes Youngstown State University one of the best values in the United States. Read the full report on Youngstown State University
Flagler College St Augustine offered strong value this year, earning the #6 position. More on Flagler College St Augustine
Scottsdale Community College came in at #7 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Scottsdale Community College
University Of California Merced placed #8 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Get the full University Of California Merced report
University Of Southern California came in at #9 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on University Of Southern California
Arkansas State University Main Campus came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. See the full Arkansas State University Main Campus profile
Coastal Carolina University landed the #11 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Coastal Carolina University
Emmanuel College Massachusetts landed the #12 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Emmanuel College Massachusetts
Gordon College
Gordon College placed #13 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about Gordon College
Grand Valley State University offered strong value this year, earning the #14 position. Get the full Grand Valley State University report
Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read more about Point Loma Nazarene University
Saint Josephs College New York landed the #16 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Saint Josephs College New York
Solano Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #17 position. Read the full report on Solano Community College
University Of Alaska Anchorage came in at #18 in this year's value ranking. See the full University Of Alaska Anchorage profile
University Of Central Oklahoma ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read the full report on University Of Central Oklahoma
Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University offered strong value this year, earning the #20 position. See the full Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University profile
California State University Long Beach ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. More on California State University Long Beach
Centre College
Centre College offered strong value this year, earning the #22 position. Read more about Centre College
Cuny Graduate School And University Center came in at #23 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Cuny Graduate School And University Center report
East Stroudsburg University Of Pennsylvania ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read more about East Stroudsburg University Of Pennsylvania
El Paso Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #25 position. More on El Paso Community College
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Economics Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also delivered strong value this year:
Mckendree University offered strong value this year, earning the #26 position. See the full Mckendree University profile
Strayer University Arkansas came in at #27 in this year's value ranking. See the full Strayer University Arkansas profile
Barnard College
Barnard College offered strong value this year, earning the #28 position. Read the full report on Barnard College
Cornerstone University placed #29 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on Cornerstone University
Millsaps College
Millsaps College placed #30 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about Millsaps College
Suny At Binghamton offered strong value this year, earning the #31 position. See the full Suny At Binghamton profile
Tennessee Technological University came in at #32 in this year's value ranking. See the full Tennessee Technological University profile
Cornell University placed #33 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. See the full Cornell University profile
Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne landed the #34 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne report
Loyola University Baltimore landed the #35 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Loyola University Baltimore
Northwestern College Iowa came in at #36 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Northwestern College Iowa report
The University Of Texas At Austin landed the #37 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full The University Of Texas At Austin profile
Indiana University Southeast landed the #38 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Indiana University Southeast
Texas A And M University Corpus Christi offered strong value this year, earning the #39 position. Read the full report on Texas A And M University Corpus Christi
University Of Denver placed #40 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. More on University Of Denver
Woodland Community College offered strong value this year, earning the #41 position. Read more about Woodland Community College
Claremont Mckenna College placed #42 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read the full report on Claremont Mckenna College
Kansas State University landed the #43 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Kansas State University
Strayer University Tennessee placed #44 among the best-value Economics schools in the United States. Read more about Strayer University Tennessee
Sweet Briar College ranked #45 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Get the full Sweet Briar College report
Yuba College
Yuba College offered strong value this year, earning the #46 position. See the full Yuba College profile
Eastern Mennonite University ranked #47 on our 2026 list of the best-value Economics schools. Read more about Eastern Mennonite University
New England College offered strong value this year, earning the #48 position. Read more about New England College
Berea College
Berea College came in at #49 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Berea College
Concordia University Wisconsin offered strong value this year, earning the #50 position. Read the full report on Concordia University Wisconsin
Related Economics Value Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Value Economics Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Economics Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Economics Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Business Degree Central (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 937 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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