by our College Data Analytics Team
[Soil Sciences](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/soil-sciences/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for soil sciences students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in soil sciences, balancing cost against outcomes.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale earned the #1 spot for value among soil sciences schools in Illinois. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,334. Soil Sciences graduates carry a median of $23,730 in student loans. Early-career soil sciences graduates make about $55,076. Set against $23,730 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 87%.
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 · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.