Agriculture, General Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
This page ranks the 44 Agriculture, General programs in the United States by median earnings of Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, highest first. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list with median earnings of $84,412 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $84,412 to $18,315, with a median of $52,416. For 6 of the 44 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 93% of the list, with 41 public and 3 private nonprofit programs represented. California State University-Stanislaus posts the lowest average net price at $6,067.
Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $84,412 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports $84,412 in median earnings for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $7,529 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 2 | Texas State University · San Marcos, TX | $71,237 | $16,805 | $12,715 | 89.3% |
| Texas State University ranks 2nd on this list, with median earnings of $71,237 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing and an 89% admission rate. | |||||
| 3 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $67,954 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Ithaca, Cornell University admits 9% of applicants and posts median federal debt of $13,109 among Agriculture, General completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA | $64,669 | $6,067 | $3,938 | 98.1% |
| California State University-Stanislaus carries the lowest average net price on the page at $6,067, and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $64,669 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Illinois State University · Normal, IL | $63,600 | $19,398 | $11,568 | 88.2% |
| With 122 graduates in the earnings cohort, Illinois State University reports median earnings of $63,600 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus · Fargo, ND | $62,285 | $15,543 | $9,370 | 95.0% |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus ranks 367th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $62,285 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $61,369 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico posts median federal debt of $14,750 among Agriculture, General completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $61,369 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | South Dakota State University · Brookings, SD | $61,132 | $19,841 | $14,266 | 98.3% |
| South Dakota State University admits 98% of applicants, and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $61,132 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Sam Houston State University · Huntsville, TX | $60,598 | $16,404 | $12,474 | 90.3% |
| Sam Houston State University reports median earnings of $60,598 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $12,474 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 10 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $59,213 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank on the page at 25th among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $59,213 four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | Western Illinois University · Macomb, IL | $58,333 | $12,937 | $6,941 | 71.2% |
| Western Illinois University reports median earnings of $58,333 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $12,937. | |||||
| 12 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville · Kingsville, TX | $58,245 | $12,090 | $10,207 | 90.9% |
| Texas A&M University-Kingsville posts median federal debt of $22,750 among Agriculture, General completers who borrowed, and its graduates earn a median of $58,245 four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · Carbondale, IL | $57,596 | $13,297 | $9,415 | 86.9% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale reports median earnings of $57,596 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $13,297. | |||||
| 14 | University of Delaware · Newark, DE | $57,207 | $17,799 | $10,901 | 70.6% |
| University of Delaware admits 71% of applicants and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $57,207 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | Warner University · Lake Wales, FL | $56,429 | $19,748 | $17,853 | 42.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Lake Wales, Warner University ranks 15th on this list with median earnings of $56,429 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $53,969 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh posts an average net price of $6,382 for families earning under $30,000 and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $53,969 four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $53,568 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a median of $21,500 in federal loans, and the school's Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $53,568 four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $53,547 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University ranks 126th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $53,547 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE | $52,997 | $17,747 | $12,751 | 87.5% |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln admits 87% of applicants and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $52,997 four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $52,932 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admits 61% of applicants and reports median earnings of $52,932 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $26,000 among Agriculture, General completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | Delaware State University · Dover, DE | $52,676 | $13,910 | $11,135 | 46.6% |
| Delaware State University posts an average net price of $11,135 for families earning under $30,000 and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $52,676 four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Dickinson State University · Dickinson, ND | $52,529 | $14,092 | $10,479 | 37.0% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left Dickinson State University with a median of $18,442 in federal loans, and the school's Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $52,529 four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | Truman State University · Kirksville, MO | $52,303 | $12,780 | $6,046 | 83.8% |
| Truman State University admits 84% of applicants and reports median earnings of $52,303 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $18,518 among Agriculture, General completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 24 | Tennessee Technological University · Cookeville, TN | $52,085 | $14,246 | $9,815 | 76.1% |
| Tennessee Technological University admits 76% of applicants and its Agriculture, General graduates earn a median of $52,085 four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | East Texas A&M University · Commerce, TX | $51,983 | $11,841 | $9,709 | 92.2% |
| East Texas A&M University reports median earnings of $51,983 for its Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $11,841. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Agriculture, General graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figures cover federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. For 6 of the 44 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 from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo to the bottom of the list spans $66,097, with a $13,175 gap between California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and Texas State University.
Job market context in the United States
Graduates of Agriculture, General programs in the United States enter occupations such as Agricultural Technicians, Soil and Plant Scientists, and Food Scientists and Technologists. The median annual wage across those occupations is $65,643, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $52,331. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 5.4% higher, with 5,800 projected openings a year, or about 303 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which means more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wages described here.
Related rankings
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
- Agriculture Colleges for Social Mobility