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# Best Food Science Programs in the Midwest (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

Part of [Best Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest](/rankings/best-agriculture-colleges-in-the-midwest/)

Regional list from [Best Food Science Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-food-science-programs/)

This page ranks the 10 Food Science programs in the Midwest by the median earnings of Food Science graduates four years after completing. [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/majors/) leads the list at 1st with median earnings of $85,445 for its graduates four years after completing.

Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $85,445 to $38,289, with a median of $70,458. For 2 of the 10 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

Every program on the list is at a public institution. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks 35th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign posts the lowest average net price at $14,355, while Iowa State University has the highest admission rate, admitting 89% of applicants.

## The ranked list

10 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $85,445 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
|  | [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/majors/) reports [median earnings of $85,445](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/outcomes/) for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $17,354. |
| 2 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $78,367 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed at [Kansas State University](/school/kansas-state-university/majors/) left with a [median of $21,250](/school/kansas-state-university/outcomes/) in federal loans, and its Food Science completers earn a median of $78,367 four years after completing. |
| 3 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $75,060 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
|  | [Purdue University-Main Campus](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/majors/) [admits 50% of applicants](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/admissions/) and its Food Science graduates earn a median of $75,060 four years after completing. |
| 4 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $70,705 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
|  | [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/majors/) ranks 4th on this list and reports an [average net price of $6,642](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/cost/) for families earning under $30,000. |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $70,537 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
|  | [Ohio State University-Main Campus](/school/ohio-state-university-main-campus/majors/) posts [median earnings of $70,537](/school/ohio-state-university-main-campus/outcomes/) for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, and its school-wide median federal debt is $19,976. |
| 6 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $70,380 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
|  | [Michigan State University](/school/michigan-state-university/majors/) [ranks 69th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/michigan-state-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Food Science completers earn a median of $70,380 four years after completing. |
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $66,226 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
|  | [University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign](/school/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/majors/) reports an [average net price of $14,355](/school/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/cost/) and median earnings of $66,226 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. |
| 8 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $65,943 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
|  | [Iowa State University](/school/iowa-state-university/majors/) [admits 89% of applicants](/school/iowa-state-university/admissions/) and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $22,869. |
| 9 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE | $42,682 | $17,747 | $12,751 | 87.5% |
|  | [University of Nebraska-Lincoln](/school/university-of-nebraska-lincoln/majors/) reports [median earnings of $42,682](/school/university-of-nebraska-lincoln/outcomes/) for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $12,751 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 10 | University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO | $38,289 | $20,268 | $13,841 | 78.5% |
|  | An [average net price of $20,268](/school/university-of-missouri-columbia/cost/) and median earnings of $38,289 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing are reported by [University of Missouri-Columbia](/school/university-of-missouri-columbia/majors/). |

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Food Science graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures cover federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 2 of the 10 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. University of Wisconsin-Madison reports $85,445, which is $7,078 ahead of Kansas State University at $78,367. The spread from top to bottom is $47,156.

## Job market context in the Midwest

Food Science graduates in the Midwest enter occupations such as First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Food Batchmakers, and Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. The median annual wage across those occupations is $48,524, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $40,933. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 12,940 openings a year, or about 3,795 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Employment in those occupations is projected to be about 4.5% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which are a different measure from the occupational wage figures shown here.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Food Science Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-food-science-programs/)
-   [Best Colleges in the Midwest](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-midwest/)
-   [Best Food Science Programs in the South](/rankings/best-food-science-programs-in-the-south/)
-   [Best Food Science Programs in the West](/rankings/best-food-science-programs-in-the-west/)
-   [Best Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest](/rankings/best-agriculture-colleges-in-the-midwest/)
-   Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest for Social Mobility