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2023 Best Value Colleges for Food & Nutrition

49 Ranked Colleges
3,131 Degrees Awarded
$14,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Food & Nutrition is the 228th most popular major in the country with 3,131 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking analyzed 49 colleges that offered a degree in food and nutrition. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality food and nutrition programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the food and nutrition program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Food & Nutrition Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Food & Nutrition Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 & Nutrition Schools” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Food & Nutrition

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is located in Fargo, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s food and nutrition degrees to qualified students.

North Dakota State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,998 for food & nutrition students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full North Dakota State University Food & Nutrition Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 182 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Skysong, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food & Nutrition at Arizona State University - Skysong

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central New Mexico Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Central New Mexico Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 18 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend CNM is $3,322 for Food & Nutrition students.

Full CNM Food & Nutrition Report

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 & Nutrition Schools. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 174 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNL, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln is $17,013 for food & nutrition students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Food & Nutrition at UNL

5

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Arkansas landed the #5 spot on the list. Conway, Arkansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,554 for Food & Nutrition students per year to attend University of Central Arkansas.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 more about Food & Nutrition at University of Central Arkansas

6
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified ’s food and nutrition students in 2020-2021.

Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list. It costs about $14,887 for food & nutrition students per year to attend Texas State.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at Texas State

7

Texas Woman’s University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s food and nutrition students in 2020-2021.

TWU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $9,684 for food & nutrition students.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at Texas Woman’s University

8

With a ranking of #8, Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. IUP is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s food and nutrition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our food & nutrition students list, IUP has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. It costs about $22,828 for food & nutrition students per year to attend IUP.

Full IUP Food & Nutrition Report

9
Framingham State crest
Framingham State University
Framingham, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, Framingham State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Framingham State University is located in Framingham, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s food and nutrition degrees to qualified students.

Framingham State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,535 for food & nutrition students per year to attend Framingham State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 more about Food & Nutrition at Framingham State University

10
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 283 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Food & Nutrition students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Full Virginia Tech Food & Nutrition Report

11
Benedictine U crest
Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Lisle, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 34 degrees to qualified ’s food and nutrition students in 2020-2021.

Benedictine U also made our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Benedictine U is $25,698 for Food & Nutrition students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Benedictine U Food & Nutrition Report

12

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #12. Huntsville, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $15,035 for Food & Nutrition students.

Read more about Food & Nutrition at Sam Houston State University

13

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 111 degrees to qualified ’s food and nutrition students in 2020-2021.

OSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list. It costs about $14,237 for Food & Nutrition students per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.

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%. 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 more about Food & Nutrition at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

14
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and it awarded 11 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,032 for Food & Nutrition students per year to attend Southern Miss.

Full University of Southern Mississippi Food & Nutrition Report

15
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #15, East Carolina University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. This large school is located in Greenville, North Carolina, and it awarded 7 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for East Carolina University is $16,550 for food & nutrition students.

Full ECU Food & Nutrition Report

16
Fresno City College crest
Fresno City College
Fresno, California

Fresno City College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #16. Fresno City College is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s food and nutrition degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno City College is $2,584 for food & nutrition students.

Full Fresno City College Food & Nutrition Report

17
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #17. Hunter is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,158 for food & nutrition students per year to attend Hunter.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at Hunter College

18

Utah State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #18. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $13,257 for food & nutrition students per year to attend Utah State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at Utah State University

19
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking. University of Arkansas is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list. It costs about $16,507 for Food & Nutrition students per year to attend UARK.

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 & Nutrition at University of Arkansas

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $16,559 for food & nutrition students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Food & Nutrition Report

21
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #21. K -State is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 7 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $18,433 for Food & Nutrition students per year to attend K -State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Full K -State Food & Nutrition Report

22

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools ranking, coming in at #22. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 19 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $13,393 for food & nutrition students.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at Stephen F Austin State University

23
U of I crest
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. This fairly large school is located in Moscow, Idaho, and it awarded 18 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Food & Nutrition Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U of I is $13,964 for food & nutrition students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Food & Nutrition at University of Idaho

24
Madonna crest
Madonna University
Livonia, Michigan

With a ranking of #24, Madonna University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. Livonia, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s food and nutrition degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Madonna University is $18,212 for Food & Nutrition students.

Full Madonna Food & Nutrition Report

25
NC A&T crest
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, North Carolina

North Carolina A & T State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools list. NC A&T is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 14 ’s food and nutrition degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend North Carolina A & T State University is $10,563 for Food & Nutrition students.

Read full report on Food & Nutrition at North Carolina A & T State University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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