10 Cheapest Bachelor’s of Business Degree Programs

Shop­ping for a bach­e­lor’s degree in busi­ness with an eco­nom­i­cal price may seem impos­si­ble with ris­ing col­lege costs. After all, col­lege tuition sky­rock­et­ed 39 per­cent from 2003 to 2013. The aver­age under­grad­u­ate tuition is now $17,474 at pub­lic and $35,074 at pri­vate uni­ver­si­ties. Busi­ness majors may have trou­ble bal­anc­ing their finances, even with grants, schol­ar­ships, and work-study. Many are left scram­bling for fed­er­al stu­dent loans to cov­er expens­es. That’s why out­stand­ing stu­dent loan debt in Amer­i­ca is beyond $1.2 tril­lion! It’s essen­tial that you choose your busi­ness pro­gram care­ful­ly to avoid big loan pay­ments when you’re enter­ing the cor­po­rate world.

To help you find an afford­able bach­e­lor’s degree in busi­ness, we not only searched schools but also referred to author­i­ties on col­lege edu­ca­tion. To form our rank­ing, we con­sult­ed with the Nation­al Cen­ter for Edu­ca­tion Sta­tis­tics’ Col­lege Nav­i­ga­tor tool. In the Advanced Search, we select­ed four-year uni­ver­si­ties in the U.S. with max­i­mum aver­age annu­al under­grad­u­ate tuition at $10,000. We checked the box to fil­ter only col­leges offer­ing bach­e­lor’s pro­grams in busi­ness admin­is­tra­tion. Next, we nar­rowed down the 154 results based on busi­ness accred­i­ta­tion from the AACSB or ACBSP. We then rearranged the uni­ver­si­ties from low to high tuition and select­ed The Top 10 Cheap­est Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees. We also made spe­cial note of recog­ni­tion from the U.S. News, Forbes, Wash­ing­ton Month­ly, and oth­er pub­li­ca­tions. Avail­abil­i­ty of con­cen­tra­tions, finan­cial aid, and hands-on learn­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties were also impor­tant fac­tors in our pro­gram selections.

All of these fac­tors com­bined is proof that com­plet­ing a high-qual­i­ty busi­ness pro­gram does­n’t have to emp­ty your wal­let. Top-tier busi­ness schools come with moun­tain­ous price tags that are insur­mount­able for many. Invest­ing smart­ly in more afford­able busi­ness edu­ca­tion can help reap a bet­ter degree return on their col­lege investment.

So con­sid­er one of these 10 Cheap­est Bach­e­lor’s of Busi­ness Degree Pro­grams as you embark on your (afford­able) busi­ness education!

1. New Mexico Highlands University

Estab­lished in 1893, New Mex­i­co High­lands Uni­ver­si­ty is a pub­lic, mul­ti-eth­nic high­er learn­ing insti­tu­tion in Las Vegas, New Mex­i­co serv­ing a diverse stu­dent body over 3,700 indi­vid­u­als. NMHU ranks #1 in the state’s Edu­cate to Career Col­lege Rank­ings Index. With the low­est in-state tuition at only $4,800, NMHU offers a Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion pro­gram. The ACS­BP-accred­it­ed cur­ricu­lum con­sists of 120 cred­its, includ­ing a strate­gic busi­ness case analy­sis project. Con­cen­tra­tions are avail­able in Account­ing, Finance, Man­age­ment, Mar­ket­ing, Media Mar­ket­ing, or Oil and Gas Man­age­ment. There’s also a Cer­tifi­cate in Human Resources Man­age­ment. High­lands’ School of Busi­ness deliv­ers cours­es at four loca­tions in Las Vegas, Farm­ing­ton, Rio Ran­cho, and San­ta Fe.

Tuition: $4,800 (in-state) or $7,534 (out-of-state)

2. Brigham Young University

Owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat­ter-day Saints (LDS), Brigham Young Uni­ver­si­ty is the nation’s largest pri­vate, reli­gious research insti­tu­tion enrolling over 29,600 stu­dents in the sub­urbs of Pro­vo, Utah. The U.S. News ranked BYU as the 66th Best Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty and 16th Top Val­ue. The Mar­riott School of Man­age­ment holds AACSB accred­i­ta­tion for its low-cost B.S. in Man­age­ment. Emphases are grant­ed in Gen­er­al Busi­ness, Mar­ket­ing, Strat­e­gy, Glob­al Sup­ply Chain, Entre­pre­neur­ship, or Orga­ni­za­tion­al Behavior/Human Resources. Stu­dents com­plete a pre-man­age­ment major before enter­ing the upper-divi­sion, 60-cred­it pro­gram. In accor­dance with BYU’s Hon­or Code, many B.S. stu­dents take a hia­tus for serv­ing as Mor­mon mis­sion­ar­ies worldwide.

Tuition: $5,150

Learn more about Brigham Young Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

3. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Locat­ed in Odessa, Amer­i­ca’s third fastest-grow­ing small city, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas of the Per­mi­an Basin is a pub­lic, state teach­ing insti­tu­tion of over 5,600 stu­dents. The Econ­o­mist named UTPB the 103rd Best Val­ue Nation­al­ly and #1 in Texas. With­in the Col­lege of Busi­ness and Engi­neer­ing, stu­dents can earn the AACSB-accred­it­ed Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion (BBA). Majors are offered in Account­ing, Eco­nom­ics, Engi­neer­ing and Tech­nol­o­gy, Finance, Man­age­ment, or Mar­ket­ing. There’s even an online BBA in Man­age­ment. The 120-cred­it allows gain­ing cred­it for CLEP exam­i­na­tions to boost afford­abil­i­ty. Stu­dents also ben­e­fit from real-world train­ing in the Roden Entre­pre­neur­ial Devel­op­ment Center.

Tuition: $5,250 (in-state) or $6,090 (out-of-state)

Learn more about the Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas of the Per­mi­an Bas­in’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

4. Harris-Stowe State University

Enrolling around 1,300 under­grad­u­ates, Har­ris-Stowe State Uni­ver­si­ty is a four-year pub­lic, his­tor­i­cal­ly black insti­tu­tion locat­ed in St. Louis, Mis­souri, since 1857. Named the 207th Best Bac­calau­re­ate Col­lege Nation­al­ly in Wash­ing­ton Month­ly, HSSU ranks #1 in Mis­souri for grant­i­ng degrees to African Amer­i­cans. With ACSBP approval, the Anheuser-Busch School of Busi­ness con­fers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion. The 120-cred­it cur­ricu­lum has a Gen­er­al Busi­ness track, but emphases are avail­able in Entre­pre­neur­ship, Man­age­ment, or Mar­ket­ing. There’s also an 18-month Adult Path­way to Suc­cess pro­gram for asso­ciate degree hold­ers. BSBA majors can select from nine stu­dent-run orga­ni­za­tions, includ­ing Delta Mu Delta and Entre­pre­neur­ship Club.

Tuition: $5,220 (in-state) or $9,853 (out-of-state)

Learn more about the Har­ris-Stowe State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

5. Mississippi Valley State University

As part of the Thur­good Mar­shall Col­lege Fund, Mis­sis­sip­pi Val­ley State Uni­ver­si­ty is a pub­lic, state-fund­ed HBCU found­ed in 1950 and serv­ing approx­i­mate­ly 2,300 stu­dents from Itta Bena on the Mis­sis­sip­pi Delta. The U.S. News rec­og­nizes MVSU as Amer­i­ca’s 39th Best His­tor­i­cal­ly Black Uni­ver­si­ty. With SACS and ACBSP accred­i­ta­tion, the Col­lege of Pro­fes­sion­al Stud­ies offers a B.S. Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion pro­gram. From a gen­er­al­ist approach, the 126-cred­it cur­ricu­lum cov­ers con­cepts from finance and inter­na­tion­al busi­ness to eco­nom­ics and data pro­cess­ing. There’s also a B.S. in Account­ing. Majors ben­e­fit from learn­ing in the new $10.6 mil­lion Busi­ness Edu­ca­tion Build­ing. Inter­na­tion­al stu­dents can study via the Gate­way Lead­er­ship Ambas­sadors Pro­gram (GLAP).

Tuition: $5,936

6. Delta State University

Nes­tled in the rur­al town of Cleve­land, Mis­sis­sip­pi, Delta State Uni­ver­si­ty is anoth­er of the state’s eight pub­lic, co-edu­ca­tion­al teach­ing insti­tu­tions edu­cat­ing over 3,300. DSU was crowned the South’s 135th Best Bang For The Buck in Wash­ing­ton Month­ly mag­a­zine. At $6,112 per year, the Col­lege of Busi­ness awards a Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion with ACBSP accred­i­ta­tion. Majors are giv­en for Accoun­tan­cy, Com­put­er Infor­ma­tion Sys­tems, Finance, Insur­ance and Real Estate, Man­age­ment, Mar­ket­ing, or Office Admin­is­tra­tion. There’s a Bach­e­lor of Com­mer­cial Avi­a­tion too. Con­sist­ing of 121 cred­its, the cur­ricu­lum can be fin­ished on-cam­pus, online, or with hybrid class­es. DSU stu­dents may par­tic­i­pate in the Mag­el­lan Exchange for study­ing or intern­ing abroad.

Tuition: $6,112

Learn more about the Delta State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

7. Chadron State College

Found­ed in 1909, Chadron State Col­lege is an afford­able four-year, pub­lic teach­ing insti­tu­tion enrolling around 3,000 full-time stu­dents in Chadron with­in Nebraska’s Pan­han­dle. Mil­i­tary Times EDGE mag­a­zine laud­ed CSC as the coun­try’s 11th “Best for Vets” col­lege. With­in the Busi­ness Acad­e­my, stu­dents can pur­sue the Bach­e­lor of Arts in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion or Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Busi­ness Edu­ca­tion. Minors are offered in Agribusi­ness, Busi­ness Infor­ma­tion Sys­tems, Entre­pre­neur­ship, Finance, or Mar­ket­ing. The four-year pro­gram blends face-to-face and online class­es accred­it­ed by the ACBSP. Stu­dents can grow their ven­ture visions in the Nebras­ka Busi­ness Devel­op­ment Cen­ter. There’s also an active Delta Mu Delta Hon­or Soci­ety chapter.

Tuition: $6,220 (in-state) or $6,250 (out-of-state)

Learn more about the Chadron State Col­lege’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

8. West Texas A&M University

Ide­al­ly posi­tioned 13 miles south of Amar­il­lo in Canyon, Texas, West Texas A&M Uni­ver­si­ty is a com­pre­hen­sive pub­lic, co-edu­ca­tion­al insti­tu­tion enrolling over 9,400 stu­dents. List­ed among the Prince­ton Review’s “Best West­ern” col­leges, WTAMU is laud­ed for host­ing Amer­i­ca’s 11th Top Online Bach­e­lor’s Pro­grams. The AACSB-accred­it­ed Col­lege of Busi­ness offers its Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion either on-cam­pus or online. Majors are giv­en in Account­ing, Com­put­er Infor­ma­tion Sys­tems, Eco­nom­ics, Finance, Man­age­ment, or Mar­ket­ing. There’s also a Health­care Man­age­ment spe­cial­iza­tion. The 120-cred­it pro­gram includes a strate­gic man­age­ment cap­stone project. Stu­dents may study abroad in Rus­sia, join Enac­tus, or par­tic­i­pate in the CFA Research Challenge.

Tuition: $7,041 (in-state) or $7,829 (out-of-state)

Learn more about West Texas A&M Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

9. Midwestern State University

As Texas’ only pub­lic COPLAC mem­ber, Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty deliv­ers lib­er­al arts and sci­ences edu­ca­tion to over 5,900 stu­dents from Wichi­ta Falls near Shep­pard Air Force Base. In Wash­ing­ton Month­ly, MWSU was dis­tin­guished as the South’s 77th Best Bang For The Buck. The Dil­lard Col­lege of Busi­ness has an afford­able, AACSB-accred­it­ed Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion pro­gram. Along with Gen­er­al Busi­ness, majors are grant­ed in Account­ing, Eco­nom­ics, Finance, Man­age­ment, Man­age­ment Infor­ma­tion Sys­tems, and Mar­ket­ing. All BBA stu­dents must reach 120 cred­its. Majors may com­plete an option­al 150-hour intern­ship at busi­ness­es like Enter­prise Rent-A-Car and Sher­win-Williams Co. There’s also an Inter­na­tion­al Sum­mer School pro­gram at Ger­many’s Erfurt University.

Tuition: $8,005 (in-state) or $9,955 (out-of-state)

Learn more about the Mid­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

10. Youngstown State University

Serv­ing over 14,500 stu­dents year­ly, Youngstown State Uni­ver­si­ty is a pub­lic, met­ro­pol­i­tan research insti­tu­tion based in Youngstown, Ohio, just 65 miles from Cleve­land. Hon­ored with the Starfish 360 Award, YSU is ranked the 162nd Best Mid­west­ern Col­lege by Forbes mag­a­zine. Fea­tur­ing AACSB accred­i­ta­tion, the Williamson Col­lege con­fers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion. Stu­dents spe­cial­ize with majors in Account­ing, Eco­nom­ics, Finance, Human Resource Man­age­ment, Infor­ma­tion and Sup­ply Chain Man­age­ment, Inter­na­tion­al Busi­ness, Man­age­ment, or Mar­ket­ing. Seniors in the 120-cred­it pro­gram can pur­sue a 225-hour intern­ship. High achiev­ing majors can join the WCBS Busi­ness Lead­ers Pro­gram. YSU grad­u­ates have found suc­cess from MGM and Goodyear to Chase Bank.

Tuition: $8,317 (in-state) or $8,557 (out-of-state)

Learn more about the Youngstown State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Busi­ness Bach­e­lor Degrees here.

Relat­ed:

20 Cheap­est Online Busi­ness Bach­e­lor’s Degrees

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Busi­ness Administration

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Busi­ness Administration

10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Busi­ness Administration

10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Busi­ness Administration