Price tracks quality less than you might expect. The University of Florida earns the highest comparison score of the ten, 82.6, and its in-state price of $6,381 is only $1,751 above Western Carolina’s.
What the In-State and Out-of-State Gap Means for You
Where you live decides most of what you pay at nine of these schools. The out-of-state premium runs from $4,000 at Western Carolina to $22,278 at Florida, where the published out-of-state figure is $28,659. BYU-Idaho is the exception: it reports $4,800 for everyone, so a nonresident pays the in-state price. If you would pay out-of-state rates, read that column first, because the order changes.
After BYU-Idaho at $4,800 and Western Carolina at $8,630, the next lowest out-of-state figures are $17,324 at Florida Atlantic and South Florida. Western Carolina’s number is out of date, though. NC Promise now sets tuition at $3,500 a semester for out-of-state students, up from the rate behind the published figure, so a nonresident should expect to pay more than $8,630.
Sources: [1]
How Much In-State Tuition Varies Across These Programs
In-state, the whole list sits within $1,935. Western Carolina’s $4,630 is the low end and Florida International’s $6,565 is the high end. Leave Western Carolina out and the other nine fall between $4,800 and $6,565.
The five most expensive sit within $197 of each other, from $6,368 at Central Florida to $6,565. At that range, a couple hundred dollars of tuition should not decide your school.
Western Carolina stands apart because of NC Promise, which reduced in-state undergraduate tuition to $500 per fall and spring semester. Most of that $4,630 is fees, since tuition itself comes to $1,000 a year, so compare the full cost of attendance with a Florida school before you decide.
| School | In-State Tuition and Fees | Out-of-State Tuition and Fees | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina University | $4,630 | $8,630 | 60% |
| Brigham Young University-Idaho | $4,800 | $4,800 | 50% |
| Florida Atlantic University | $4,879 | $17,324 | 63% |
| University of West Florida | $5,776 | $18,658 | 59% |
| University of North Florida | $5,964 | $19,407 | 65% |
| University of Central Florida | $6,368 | $22,467 | 78% |
| University of Florida | $6,381 | $28,659 | 91% |
| University of South Florida | $6,410 | $17,324 | 77% |
| Florida State University | $6,517 | $21,683 | 86% |
| Florida International University | $6,565 | $18,964 | 74% |
Sources: [1]
What the Published Price Includes and Leaves Out
The figures here are the 2024-25 annual tuition and required fees each school reported for full-time undergraduates. They are schoolwide numbers before any grant or scholarship, so they are not your bill, and housing, food, books and travel sit outside them.
Some economics majors add costs of their own. North Florida requires every economics major to complete an approved international experience, such as study abroad, an exchange or an internship abroad. It also requires a minor unless you double major.
West Florida makes its Global Economics specialization depend on at least one semester at a partner university abroad. Western Carolina requires a second major or minor on top of the 43-hour economics major, which can add courses to a 120-hour degree.
Scheduling can cost a semester too. At Florida Atlantic, Analysis of Economic Data is offered only in the fall, so missing it can push a required course back a full year. Ask each department which core courses run once a year before you plan a cheaper route.
Ways to Cut the Cost of an Economics Bachelor’s
Eight of the ten programs are at Florida public universities, and Florida rewards a state college start. The State University System describes an established “2+2” process that moves Associate in Arts graduates into upper-division programs at state universities. Take the economics prerequisites your target school expects, usually principles of micro and macro, statistics and calculus, so the credits count toward the major.
Western Carolina is the other low-cost route. In-state undergraduates pay $500 in tuition per fall and spring semester through NC Promise, and the tuition rate applies to all undergraduates. If you are a North Carolina resident, price the full cost of attendance there against a Florida school before you decide.
BYU-Idaho belongs on the shortlist for anyone outside its home state. Its published price is the same for in-state and out-of-state students, which no Florida school on this list can say.
What You Keep and What You Give Up at a Lower Price
On this list, the graduation rates rise with price. Florida reports 91% and Florida State 86%, at in-state prices of $6,381 and $6,517. Western Carolina reports 60% at $4,630 and BYU-Idaho 50% at $4,800. The extra cost for the highest rate is less than $1,800 a year.
Those are schoolwide six-year rates for first-time, full-time students, not rates for economics majors. They still show how often a school’s students finish, and finishing on time is the cheapest way through any degree. One extra year of tuition and living costs would outweigh the in-state price difference between any two schools here.
College Scorecard median earnings for economics graduates from these schools run from $67,007 at South Florida to $89,075 at Florida. They do not follow price.
Program size varies widely too. Florida awarded 280 economics bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24 and South Florida 226, while Western Carolina awarded 4 and West Florida 7. A small department may run its upper-level courses less often, so ask how often they run.
Sources: [3]
Questions About Paying for a Economics Degree
Which Economics Program on This List Costs the Least In-State?
Western Carolina reported $4,630 in 2024-25 tuition and fees, the lowest on this list. Through NC Promise, in-state undergraduates pay $500 in tuition per fall and spring semester. Required fees, housing and meals come on top, so build your budget from the full cost of attendance.
Sources: [1]
Can Out-of-State Students Find a Low Price Here?
Yes, at two schools. BYU-Idaho reports the same $4,800 for in-state and out-of-state students. Western Carolina published $8,630 out-of-state, but NC Promise now charges nonresidents $3,500 a semester, so expect a higher figure. At the Florida schools the cheapest out-of-state price is $17,324, at Florida Atlantic and South Florida.
Sources: [1]
Does the Published Tuition Include Study Abroad or Other Required Extras?
No. The published figure is a schoolwide annual amount and does not price a specific requirement. North Florida requires an approved international experience for economics majors, West Florida requires a semester abroad for its Global Economics specialization, and Western Carolina requires a second major or minor. Add the cost of whichever applies to you.
Is Starting at a Community College a Good Way to Save on an Economics Degree?
It can be, if your credits transfer cleanly. Florida’s “2+2” process moves Associate in Arts graduates into upper-division programs at state universities, and eight of these ten programs are in Florida. Take the principles courses, statistics and calculus your target school lists as prerequisites for the economics major.
Sources: [7]
Do Lower-Priced Economics Programs Have Lower Graduation Rates?
Somewhat. The two highest schoolwide graduation rates belong to Florida at 91% and Florida State at 86%, which are among the higher in-state prices, while BYU-Idaho reports 50% and Western Carolina 60%. The in-state price gap between the lowest and highest is under $2,000 a year. Every school here reports a schoolwide rate of at least 50%, because that is a requirement for the list.
How Much Do Economics Graduates From These Schools Earn?
College Scorecard median earnings for economics bachelor’s graduates run from $67,007 at South Florida to $89,075 at Florida. A median is the midpoint for a school’s graduates in this field, not a promise for any one student, and it does not follow tuition.
Sources for This Degree Guide
University references lead to the relevant ranking card, where you can open the official program sources.
- NC Promise: Use Your Advantage | Western Carolina University
- Economic Analysis | Western Carolina University
- Economics (B.S.) | Majors & Degrees | BYU-Idaho
- Economics (Bachelor of Arts) | UNF Catalog
- Business Economics, B.S.B.A. | University of West Florida Academic Catalog
- General Economics Program (BS) | FAU College of Business
- Transfer Students | State University System of Florida
