2026 Best Value Food Technology & Processing Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Food Technology & Processing](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/food-science-technology/food-technology-and-processing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for food technology & processing students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Food Technology & Processing Schools in the The Plains States Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in food technology & processing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Food Technology & Processing Schools
Kansas State University earned the #1 spot for value among food technology & processing schools in the The Plains States Region. Kansas State University is a very large public school located in the city of Manhattan. Students from in state pay about $11,221 in tuition and fees, compared with $28,568 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,844 to complete the food technology & processing program here. Early-career food technology & processing graduates make about $76,437. Set against $24,844 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Kansas State University admits about 82% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
