2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Virginia
[Food & Nutrition](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/food-nutrition-services/food-nutrition-wellness/) 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.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for food & nutrition students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Virginia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the food & nutrition degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools
James Madison University tops our 2026 list of the best value food & nutrition schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, James Madison University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,966, compared with $31,312 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,000 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Early-career food & nutrition graduates make about $24,860. That is a strong return on a $19,000 median debt. James Madison University admits about 72% of applicants.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value food & nutrition schools. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,948, with out-of-state students paying around $37,764. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University generally make around $25,414. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University admits about 55% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
