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2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

44 Ranked Colleges
1,184 Degrees Awarded
$15,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 44 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in food science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great food science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the food science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Food Science (With Aid)

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 full report on Food Science at Purdue University - Main Campus

#23 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. 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 with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Fresno State 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 #3 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at UW - Madison

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 99 degrees to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Food Science at UIUC

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #5 spot on the list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 9 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food Science at University of Florida

With a ranking of #6, Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,167 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid per year to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho.

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

#8 in overall quality

Iowa State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 52 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 full report on Food Science at Iowa State

#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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

UNL also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln is $17,208 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#25 in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. BYU is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 24 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also took the #25 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Food Science at Brigham Young University - Provo

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #7 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 full report on Food Science at UC Davis

#21 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 30 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,734 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Food Science Report

#12

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 2 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid.

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 full report on Food Science at UW - River Falls

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Food Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#14

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#22 in overall quality

North Carolina State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 15 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $16,458 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Food Science at NC State

#12 in overall quality

North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University is $16,584 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 North Dakota State University - Main Campus

#16

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#15 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid per year to attend Michigan State.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Food Science at Michigan State University

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#10 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $17,740 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Food Science at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#18

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 full report on Food Science at UGA

#19

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#13 in overall quality

Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $21,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food Science at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

#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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $16,001 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Mizzou Food Science Report

#21

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 12 bachelors’s food sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $17,571 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

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

Read full report on Food Science at Texas Tech University

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Food Sciences students with aid.

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 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Food Science Report

#23

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#16 in overall quality

Kansas State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s food sciences students in 2019-2020.

K -State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,285 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid per year to attend Kansas State University.

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

Read more about Food Science at Kansas State University

#24

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#19 in overall quality

South Dakota State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. South Dakota State is located in Brookings, South Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

South Dakota State also made our “Best Food Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State University is $19,252 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full South Dakota State Food Science Report

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. OSU is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $14,648 for bachelor’s degree food sciences students with aid.

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

Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Food Science Report

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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