2027 Best Value Restaurant/Food Services Management Schools in the Southeast Region
[Restaurant/Food Services Management](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/hospitality-management/restaurant-food-services-management/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools to find the best return on investment for restaurant/food services management students.
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2027 Best Value Restaurant/Food Services Management Schools in the Southeast Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in restaurant/food services management, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Restaurant/Food Services Management Schools
For return on investment in restaurant/food services management, no school beat Atlanta Technical College this year. Set in the city of Atlanta, Atlanta Technical College is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,382, compared with $5,950 for out-of-state students. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $17,655 in student loans. Soon after graduation, restaurant/food services management degree recipients from Atlanta Technical College generally make around $35,441. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in restaurant/food services management will find it at Indian River State College, which ranked #2. Located in the suburb of Fort Pierce, Indian River State College is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $2,764 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $10,201. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $10,492 in student loans. Soon after graduation, restaurant/food services management degree recipients from Indian River State College generally make around $44,082. Set against $10,492 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Hillsborough Community College came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best value restaurant/food services management schools. Set in the city of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,491 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,088. Students borrow a median of $16,142 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Soon after graduation, restaurant/food services management degree recipients from Hillsborough Community College generally make around $44,101. Set against $16,142 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
St Petersburg College came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value restaurant/food services management schools. Set in the city of St. Petersburg, St Petersburg College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,682, compared with $9,286 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,385 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of St Petersburg College earn a median of $48,218 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Florida State College At Jacksonville earned it the #5 place for restaurant/food services management. Set in the city of Jacksonville, Florida State College At Jacksonville is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,657, compared with $9,631 for out-of-state students. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $19,139 in student loans. Soon after graduation, restaurant/food services management degree recipients from Florida State College At Jacksonville generally make around $46,748. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Pensacola State College ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best value restaurant/food services management schools. Set in the city of Pensacola, Pensacola State College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,361, compared with $9,463 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $9,191 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of Pensacola State College earn a median of $45,811 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Miami Dade College earned the #7 position for value in restaurant/food services management this year. Miami Dade College is a very large public school located in the city of Miami. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,838, with out-of-state students paying around $9,661. Students borrow a median of $11,967 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $40,267. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Northwest Florida State College came in at #8 for value in restaurant/food services management this year. Located in the suburb of Niceville, Northwest Florida State College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,583, while out-of-state students pay about $10,612. Students borrow a median of $11,566 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of Northwest Florida State College earn a median of $48,463 early in their careers. Set against $11,566 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Albany Technical College came in at #9 for value in restaurant/food services management this year. Albany Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Albany. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,364, compared with $5,932 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $16,321 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $35,895. That is a strong return on a $16,321 median debt.
Gwinnett Technical College placed #10 among the best values for restaurant/food services management. Set in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett Technical College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,524, while out-of-state students pay about $6,092. Students borrow a median of $18,048 to complete the restaurant/food services management program here. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of Gwinnett Technical College earn a median of $39,288 early in their careers. Set against $18,048 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Seminole State College Of Florida landed the #11 spot for restaurant/food services management value this year. Located in the city of Sanford, Seminole State College Of Florida is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $3,122, compared with $11,447 for out-of-state students. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $18,419 in student loans. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $48,049. That is a strong return on a $18,419 median debt.
Palm Beach State College earned the #12 position for value in restaurant/food services management this year. Located in the suburb of Lake Worth, Palm Beach State College is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,050, while out-of-state students pay about $10,910. Typical student debt for restaurant/food services management graduates is $12,518. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of Palm Beach State College earn a median of $42,501 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $12,518 median debt.
University Of Central Florida came in at #13 for value in restaurant/food services management this year. Located in the suburb of Orlando, University Of Central Florida is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $6,368 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $22,467. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $20,500 in student loans. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $38,907. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 40%.
American Public University System landed the #14 spot for restaurant/food services management value this year. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Public University System is a very large private for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,400. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $37,978 in student loans. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of American Public University System earn a median of $37,174 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Valencia College ranked #15 on our 2027 list of the best value restaurant/food services management schools. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,664, while out-of-state students pay about $9,576. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $14,433 in student loans. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $31,588. That is a strong return on a $14,433 median debt.
University Of North Alabama placed #16 among the best values for restaurant/food services management. Located in the city of Florence, University Of North Alabama is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $12,120, while out-of-state students pay about $22,320. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $24,291 in student loans. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $41,357. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of North Alabama admits about 87% of applicants.
Broward College landed the #17 spot for restaurant/food services management value this year. Set in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Broward College is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,830, with out-of-state students paying around $8,952. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $13,110 in student loans. Early-career restaurant/food services management graduates make about $51,328. That is a strong return on a $13,110 median debt.
The University Of Alabama ranked #18 on our 2027 list of the best value restaurant/food services management schools. Set in the city of Tuscaloosa, The University Of Alabama is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,180, with out-of-state students paying around $34,172. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of The University Of Alabama earn a median of $50,740 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Ecpi University placed #19 among the best values for restaurant/food services management. Set in the city of Virginia Beach, Ecpi University is a large private for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,484. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates carry a median of $30,138 in student loans. Restaurant/food Services Management graduates of Ecpi University earn a median of $33,711 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 74%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 19 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 19 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.
