ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Southwest Region

13 Colleges in the United States
$20,099 Avg Student Debt
$56,404 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Business Economics Badge [Business Economics](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 26 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for business economics students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/business-economics/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 4
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 52.06), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Economics (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Economics (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Economics (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Economics (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Program Evaluation (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Grad Cert - Program Evaluation (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MS in Applied Economics" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MS in Applied Economics" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 2
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 2 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 2
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 2 offers with relevance >= 0.8

2026 Best Value Business Economics Schools in the Southwest Region

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the business economics degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Business Economics Schools

1

Leading the list is The University Of Texas At El Paso, our #1 best value for business economics in the Southwest Region. Set in the city of El Paso, The University Of Texas At El Paso is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,544, while out-of-state students pay about $25,502. Students borrow a median of $19,819 to complete the business economics program here. Soon after graduation, business economics degree recipients from The University Of Texas At El Paso generally make around $48,335. That is a strong return on a $19,819 median debt. The University Of Texas At El Paso admits about 100% of applicants.

2

A rank of #2 makes The University Of Texas At San Antonio one of the best values for business economics. Set in the city of San Antonio, The University Of Texas At San Antonio is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,326 in tuition and fees, compared with $22,249 for out-of-state students. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $18,246 in student loans. Early-career business economics graduates make about $50,289. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.

3

University Of North Texas came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value business economics schools. University Of North Texas is a very large public school located in the city of Denton. In-state tuition and fees average $11,309, while out-of-state students pay about $21,149. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $14,125 in student loans. Business Economics graduates of University Of North Texas earn a median of $54,058 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 72% of applicants are accepted.

4

A rank of #4 makes Northern Arizona University one of the best values for business economics. Northern Arizona University is a very large public school located in the city of Flagstaff. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,619, with out-of-state students paying around $20,044. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $22,194 in student loans. Soon after graduation, business economics degree recipients from Northern Arizona University generally make around $49,354. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Northern Arizona University admits about 90% of applicants.

5

University Of Arizona is a great value for students pursuing a degree in business economics, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Tucson, University Of Arizona is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,573, compared with $39,903 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for business economics graduates is $21,375. Business Economics graduates of University Of Arizona earn a median of $56,114 early in their careers. Set against $21,375 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.

ADBLOCK #101
6

The University Of Texas At Arlington earned the #6 position for value in business economics this year. Set in the city of Arlington, The University Of Texas At Arlington is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,950 in tuition and fees, compared with $29,582 for out-of-state students. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $16,063 in student loans. Soon after graduation, business economics degree recipients from The University Of Texas At Arlington generally make around $53,984. Set against $16,063 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The University Of Texas At Arlington admits about 80% of applicants.

7

Stephen F Austin State University placed #7 among the best values for business economics. Set in the town of Nacogdoches, Stephen F Austin State University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,128 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $20,968. Students borrow a median of $24,759 to complete the business economics program here. Business Economics graduates of Stephen F Austin State University earn a median of $42,197 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Stephen F Austin State University admits about 94% of applicants.

8

Oklahoma State University Main Campus earned the #8 position for value in business economics this year. Oklahoma State University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the town of Stillwater. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,110, while out-of-state students pay about $25,630. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $21,250 in student loans. Soon after graduation, business economics degree recipients from Oklahoma State University Main Campus generally make around $40,413. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.

9

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best value business economics schools. Set in the suburb of Norman, University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,797, while out-of-state students pay about $27,377. Typical student debt for business economics graduates is $17,800. Early-career business economics graduates make about $55,460. Set against $17,800 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.

10

Texas State University San Marcos ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best value business economics schools. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State University San Marcos is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,450, compared with $22,930 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for business economics graduates is $23,125. Business Economics graduates of Texas State University San Marcos earn a median of $49,831 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,125 median debt. Texas State University San Marcos admits about 89% of applicants.

ADBLOCK #115
11

West Texas A And M University earned the #11 position for value in business economics this year. Set in the town of Canyon, West Texas A And M University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,101 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $10,996. Business Economics graduates carry a median of $22,333 in student loans. Business Economics graduates of West Texas A And M University earn a median of $43,515 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,333 median debt. West Texas A And M University admits about 99% of applicants.

Narrow Business Economics Schools by State

ADBLOCK #173
View All Business Economics Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 26 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 13 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options