Best Agriculture Colleges in the West (2026)
Updated
Regional list from Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 22 Agriculture programs in the West by median earnings of Agriculture graduates four years after completing. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $73,630 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the 15 schools with a published figure, earnings range from $73,630 to $26,353, with a median of $52,481. For 3 of the listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list is overwhelmingly public: 21 of the 22 schools are public, and the lone private nonprofit is Brigham Young University. California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price at $3,967, while California State University-Los Angeles ranks 3rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Agriculture Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $73,630 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports $73,630 in median earnings for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, and its six-year completion rate of 86% is the highest on this list. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (165 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (120 graduates), Food Science and Technology (101 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($88,396), Agriculture, General ($84,412), Plant Sciences ($82,487) | |||||
| 2 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | No published median | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University, a private nonprofit university in Provo, ranks 2nd on this list and posts an average net price of $15,564 alongside a six-year completion rate of 81%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Soil Sciences (24 graduates), Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services (22 graduates), Food Science and Technology (11 graduates) | |||||
| 3 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $65,006 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| California State University-Fresno shows median earnings of $65,006 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, combined with an average net price of $7,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agricultural Business and Management (109 graduates), Animal Sciences (88 graduates), Food Science and Technology (63 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Plant Sciences ($77,034), Agricultural Business and Management ($67,731), Food Science and Technology ($64,225) | |||||
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA | $64,669 | $6,067 | $3,938 | 98.1% |
| With an admission rate of 98%, California State University-Stanislaus admits nearly all applicants and reports median earnings of $64,669 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture, General (29 graduates) | |||||
| 5 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $59,146 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico ranks 5th on this list and reports median earnings of $59,146 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, above the list median of $52,481. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agricultural Business and Management (77 graduates), Animal Sciences (67 graduates), Agriculture, General (48 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Plant Sciences ($68,629), Agricultural Business and Management ($65,198), Animal Sciences ($48,474) | |||||
| 6 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $57,242 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University graduates 70% of its students within six years and reports median earnings of $57,242 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture, General (67 graduates), Animal Sciences (63 graduates), Plant Sciences (62 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($72,311), Food Science and Technology ($63,531), Plant Sciences ($57,950) | |||||
| 7 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $56,610 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $56,610 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (139 graduates), Food Science and Technology (24 graduates), Plant Sciences (23 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Food Science and Technology ($75,601), Plant Sciences ($66,714), Animal Sciences ($53,017) | |||||
| 8 | Montana State University · Bozeman, MT | $55,744 | $22,499 | $17,797 | 82.1% |
| Montana State University reports median earnings of $55,744 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $22,499. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (41 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (24 graduates), Plant Sciences (18 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($79,621), Animal Sciences ($46,313), Plant Sciences ($45,392) | |||||
| 9 | University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY | No published median | $13,599 | $7,977 | 96.9% |
| University of Wyoming ranks 9th on this list and carries an average net price of $7,977 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (50 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (46 graduates), Plant Sciences (25 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($64,200), Plant Sciences ($52,652), Animal Sciences ($49,092) | |||||
| 10 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | No published median | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| California State University-Los Angeles holds the lowest average net price on the page at $3,967 and ranks 3rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Food Science and Technology (8 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | No published median | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis admits 42% of applicants and graduates 86% of its students within six years, with an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (368 graduates), Food Science and Technology (63 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (28 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Food Science and Technology ($70,571), Animal Sciences ($48,441) | |||||
| 12 | University of Nevada-Reno · Reno, NV | $52,481 | $15,927 | $12,674 | 73.7% |
| Median earnings of $52,481 for Agriculture graduates four years after completing are reported by University of Nevada-Reno, which graduates 61% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs (33 graduates), Agriculture, General (10 graduates), Plant Sciences (9 graduates) | |||||
| 13 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | No published median | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University ranks 13th on this list and reports an average net price of $7,074 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (107 graduates), Food Science and Technology (32 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (27 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Food Science and Technology ($68,719), Animal Sciences ($41,634) | |||||
| 14 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $49,835 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins reports median earnings of $49,835 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, alongside a six-year completion rate of 67%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (88 graduates), Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services (75 graduates), Plant Sciences (58 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services ($66,984), Agricultural Business and Management ($58,983), Soil Sciences ($57,671) | |||||
| 15 | University of Idaho · Moscow, ID | $49,547 | $14,831 | $11,270 | 75.5% |
| With an admission rate of 76%, University of Idaho posts median earnings of $49,547 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (49 graduates), Plant Sciences (26 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (17 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($80,690), Plant Sciences ($47,392), Animal Sciences ($40,935) | |||||
| 16 | University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ | No published median | $16,674 | $13,353 | 86.1% |
| University of Arizona ranks 16th on this list and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 75th among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs (80 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (29 graduates), Animal Sciences (25 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($66,833), Animal Sciences ($45,548), Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs ($41,591) | |||||
| 17 | University of Hawaii at Hilo · Hilo, HI | $44,096 | $11,856 | $8,983 | 60.6% |
| An average net price of $11,856 and a six-year completion rate of 48% are reported by University of Hawaii at Hilo. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture, General (23 graduates) | |||||
| 18 | University of Hawaii at Manoa · Honolulu, HI | $42,671 | $15,664 | $10,675 | 86.6% |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa reports median earnings of $42,671 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing, and an admission rate of 87%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (27 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (7 graduates) | |||||
| 19 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $39,927 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports median earnings of $39,927 for its Agriculture graduates two years after completing, and an admission rate of 98%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Plant Sciences (8 graduates) | |||||
| 20 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM | No published median | $8,889 | $6,648 | 89.0% |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus ranks 20th on this list and reports an average net price of $6,648 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (67 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (20 graduates), Plant Sciences (17 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($63,139), Animal Sciences ($36,858) | |||||
| 21 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus · Portales, NM | $32,569 | $4,904 | $3,663 | 91.7% |
| Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $32,569 for its Agriculture graduates two years after completing, and an average net price of $4,904. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (8 graduates) | |||||
| 22 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $26,353 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz reports a six-year completion rate of 75% and an Azimuth composite rank of 109th among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Plant Sciences (13 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (6 graduates) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Agriculture graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Agriculture earnings cohort in the West appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 3 of the 22 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 15 schools with a published figure. The spread from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo to the bottom of the list is $47,277, and the median across the listed schools is $52,481.
Job market context in the West
Graduates of Agriculture programs in the West enter a labor market that includes occupations such as Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals, First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, and Food Science Technicians. The median annual wage across those occupations is $59,318, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $48,470. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 306,970 openings a year, or about 7,869 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 7.1% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage figures described here.
Related rankings
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
- Best Colleges in the West
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the Northeast
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the South
- Agriculture Colleges in the West for Social Mobility