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2023 Best Value Colleges for Food Science in the Southeast Region

11 Ranked Colleges
370 Degrees Awarded
$17,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,812 people earned their degree in food science, making the major the 305th most popular in the United States.

Across the Southeast region, there were 370 food science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in food science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality food science programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 in the Southeast Region” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region food sciences students.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Food Science in the Southeast Region

1
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Georgia. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region. UGA is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 37 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region food sciences students list, UGA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $14,257 for southeast region food sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UGA Food Science Report

2
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 44 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $16,411 for southeast region food sciences students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at North Carolina State University

3
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the #3 spot on the list. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

UARK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UARK is $16,507 for southeast region food sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 full report on Food Science at University of Arkansas

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for southeast region food sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Food Science at University of Florida

5
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mississippi State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and it awarded 38 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Mississippi State also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Mississippi State is $16,122 for Southeast Region Food Sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Food Science at Mississippi State University

6
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #6, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s food sciences students in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Southeast Region Food Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 full report on Food Science at Virginia Tech

7

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 30 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Knoxville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $18,579 for Southeast Region Food Sciences students per year to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, 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%.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Food Science Report

8
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Clemson University is located in Clemson, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 ’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.

Clemson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Clemson is $21,262 for Southeast Region Food Sciences students.

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

Read full report on Food Science at Clemson University

9

With a ranking of #9, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s food sciences students in 2020-2021.

Louisiana State University also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is $17,811 for southeast region food sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, 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 86%.

Full Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Food Science Report

10
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

Auburn University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Auburn, Alabama is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

Auburn also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $24,018 for Southeast Region Food Sciences students per year to attend Auburn.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food Science at Auburn University

11
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s food sciences students in 2020-2021.

UK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UK is $18,203 for southeast region food sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Food Science at University of Kentucky

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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