2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Arizona

[Food & Nutrition](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/food-nutrition-services/food-nutrition-wellness/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong food & nutrition education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for food & nutrition students.
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2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Arizona
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 Central Arizona College this year. Central Arizona College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Coolidge. In-state tuition and fees average $2,250, compared with $4,500 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $11,635 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Food & Nutrition graduates of Central Arizona College earn a median of $48,826 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Arizona State University earned it the #2 place for food & nutrition. Arizona State University is a very large public school located in the city of Tempe. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,223, while out-of-state students pay about $33,139. Typical student debt for food & nutrition graduates is $25,000. Food & Nutrition graduates of Arizona State University earn a median of $44,004 early in their careers. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 90%.
Students looking for strong value in food & nutrition will find it at University Of Arizona, which ranked #3. University Of Arizona is a very large public school located in the city of Tucson. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,573, compared with $39,903 for out-of-state students. Food & Nutrition graduates carry a median of $21,861 in student loans. Food & Nutrition graduates of University Of Arizona earn a median of $50,834 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,861 median debt. University Of Arizona admits about 86% of applicants.
More Food & Nutrition Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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.