2027 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Food & Nutrition](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/food-nutrition-services/food-nutrition-wellness/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for food & nutrition students.
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2027 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in food & nutrition, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools
For return on investment in food & nutrition, no school beat Ivy Tech Community College this year. Ivy Tech Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis. Students from in state pay about $5,154 in tuition and fees, compared with $9,935 for out-of-state students. Food & Nutrition graduates carry a median of $11,889 in student loans. Food & Nutrition graduates of Ivy Tech Community College earn a median of $40,734 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #2 makes Andrews University one of the best values for food & nutrition. Located in the town of Berrien Springs, Andrews University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $35,056. Students borrow a median of $26,314 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Early-career food & nutrition graduates make about $62,634. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Andrews University admits about 82% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Wayne State University one of the best values for food & nutrition. Set in the city of Detroit, Wayne State University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $16,159 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $34,650. Students borrow a median of $22,750 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Wayne State University generally make around $34,303. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 81% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #4 makes Central Michigan University one of the best values for food & nutrition. Central Michigan University is a large public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,480. Students borrow a median of $27,857 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Central Michigan University generally make around $63,726. That is a strong return on a $27,857 median debt. Central Michigan University admits about 90% of applicants.
A rank of #5 makes Bluffton University one of the best values for food & nutrition. Bluffton University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Bluffton. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $37,362. Typical student debt for food & nutrition graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Bluffton University generally make around $41,821. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 67% of applicants are accepted.
Benedictine University ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best value food & nutrition schools. Benedictine University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lisle. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $32,648. Students borrow a median of $26,675 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Benedictine University generally make around $39,121. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Benedictine University admits about 95% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 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.
