Indiana vs Ohio State for economics major: which is better for undergrads?

For an undergraduate economics major, Ohio State usually has a slight edge if you want a larger research university environment with broad recruiting access, a very active state-capital location, and strong options to pair economics with policy, data, or business-adjacent work. Indiana is also a very solid choice, but it tends to stand out more for students who want the Bloomington campus experience and may be especially interested in the orbit of the Kelley School, even if they are not business majors.

A student who wants internship access during the school year may find Ohio State especially appealing. Columbus is a major advantage: you are in a large and growing city, close to state government, consulting, finance, corporate offices, nonprofits, and policy organizations. For economics students, that can translate into easier access to part-time internships and more frequent employer exposure while classes are in session.

Ohio State also makes sense for someone who wants flexibility inside a big university. Economics students can connect their coursework to public affairs, statistics, math, data analytics, or business-related electives, and that can be useful for both jobs and graduate school preparation. If you are the kind of student who wants a lot of pathways and is comfortable navigating a very large campus, OSU offers that scale.

Indiana fits a somewhat different student well. If you want a classic college-town experience with a strong campus identity and a more self-contained undergraduate environment, Bloomington is very attractive. IU’s economics department is respected, and being at a university with Kelley nearby can be a real plus for students interested in finance, markets, or employer networks tied to business, even though economics and business are separate tracks.

Indiana can be especially appealing if you expect to be proactive about internships in the summer rather than relying heavily on in-semester opportunities. Bloomington has fewer built-in local advantages than Columbus for day-to-day internship access, but IU still places students well when they use campus recruiting, alumni connections, and Kelley-adjacent resources where available.

For jobs or grad school, neither school will automatically outweigh the other on name alone in economics. What matters more is your coursework, quantitative preparation, research experience, grades, and internships. Between the two, I would lean Ohio State for a student prioritizing internship access and breadth of opportunity during college, while Indiana is very compelling for someone who values campus culture and wants to build an economics path in a strong college-town setting with business energy nearby.