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2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

6 Ranked Colleges
290 Degrees Awarded
$17,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Food Science is the 305th most popular major in the country with 1,812 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Plains States region, there were 290 food science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 6 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Food Science in the Plains States Region

1
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the #1 spot on the list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 6 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

South Dakota State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $18,578 for plains states region food sciences students per year to attend South Dakota State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food Science at South Dakota State University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $16,002 for plains states region food sciences students per year to attend Iowa State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State University Food Science Report

3
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kansas State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.

K -State also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,433 for Plains States Region Food Sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Food Science at Kansas State University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region. UNL is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 97 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region food sciences students list, UNL has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,013 for Plains States Region Food Sciences students per year to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

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

Read more about Food Science at UNL

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 50 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for plains states 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Food Science Report

6

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Food Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 15 ’s food sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Food Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $16,559 for Plains States Region Food Sciences students.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Food Science Report

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