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2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

44 Ranked Colleges
1,184 Degrees Awarded
$9,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Food Science is the 283rd most popular major in the country with 1,815 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,184 food science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 44 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in food science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent food science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the food science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Food Science (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Cornell University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $7,518 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornell University Food Science Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s food sciences degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $6,860 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Food Science at UW - Madison

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,879 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Food Science at Purdue University - Main Campus

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 9 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $4,069 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Food Science at UF

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 99 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Food Science Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Fresno State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,731 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Food Science at California State University - Fresno

#7

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#10 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $8,418 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Food Science at UMN Twin Cities

#14 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 35 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Ohio State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $10,037 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Food Science Report

Brigham Young University - Idaho came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Rexburg, Idaho, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Idaho is $3,595 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Brigham Young University - Idaho Food Science Report

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 36 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#8 in overall quality

Iowa State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $10,843 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food Science at Iowa State University

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 81 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,769 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis Food Science Report

#13

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#22 in overall quality

North Carolina State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s food sciences degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

NC State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,887 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Carolina State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food Science at North Carolina State University

#14

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,337 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washington State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at Wazzu

#15

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 11 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UGA also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $10,241 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Georgia.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Food Science at UGA

#16

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,124 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at UW - River Falls

#6 in overall quality

University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 70 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UNL also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $13,508 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Food Science at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $10,425 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at BYU

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,962 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Food Science at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#20 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 11 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Mizzou has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $11,595 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Food Science at Mizzou

#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 4 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,544 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Dakota State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at North Dakota State University

#22

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this large public school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $14,474 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Food Science at UMass Amherst

#23

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s food sciences degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Food Science at Texas Tech University

#24

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $14,010 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Tech Food Science Report

#25

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 49 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,128 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMCP.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Food Science at UMCP

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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