Best Food Science Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
This page ranks 30 Food Science programs in the United States by median earnings of Food Science graduates four years after completing. University of Wisconsin-Madison leads the list at $85,445, followed by Cornell University at $84,147 and Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus at $83,112.
The median across the listed schools is $70,458, with figures ranging from $85,445 to $38,289.
Public institutions account for 97% of the list, with 29 schools alongside 1 private nonprofit. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and University of Florida posts the lowest average net price at $6,541.
The ranked list
| 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 ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $85,445 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $84,147 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Ithaca, Cornell University admits 9% of applicants and reports median earnings of $84,147 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $83,112 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus posts median earnings of $83,112 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $32,875. | |||||
| 4 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $80,979 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranks 30th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $80,979 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $80,161 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports median earnings of $80,161 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $26,875 among Food Science completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 6 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $78,367 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
| Kansas State University admits 82% of applicants and reports median earnings of $78,367 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $77,771 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst reports median earnings of $77,771 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $22,763 in federal loans. | |||||
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $75,601 | $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 $75,601 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $75,466 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| With an average net price of $16,665, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports median earnings of $75,466 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $75,060 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $75,060 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $19,500 in federal loans. | |||||
| 11 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $73,677 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park reports median earnings of $73,677 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $23,015 among Food Science completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 12 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $72,782 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh reports median earnings of $72,782 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $17,303. | |||||
| 13 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $70,705 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities reports median earnings of $70,705 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $16,778. | |||||
| 14 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $70,571 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| With a 42% admission rate, University of California-Davis ranks 18th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $70,537 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus shows median federal debt of $18,750 among Food Science completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years after completing earn a median of $70,537. | |||||
| 16 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $70,380 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University ranks 16th on this list, with an average net price of $7,068 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $68,719 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University posts median earnings of $68,719 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 32 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 18 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | $68,114 | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
| A public university in Knoxville, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville admits 42% of applicants and reports an average net price of $18,976. | |||||
| 19 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $66,226 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks 35th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Food Science graduates four years after completing earn a median of $66,226. | |||||
| 20 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $65,943 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
| Iowa State University reports median federal debt of $23,530 among Food Science completers who borrowed, alongside an average net price of $10,582 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 21 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $64,225 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| California State University-Fresno ranks 21st on this list, with a 95% admission rate and median earnings of $64,225 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $64,078 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida carries the lowest average net price on the page at $6,541, and its Food Science graduates four years after completing earn a median of $64,078. | |||||
| 23 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $63,531 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University ranks 126th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and reports median federal debt of $20,945 among Food Science completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 24 | Clemson University · Clemson, SC | $63,501 | $22,253 | $13,607 | 38.3% |
| Clemson University posts median earnings of $63,501 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 59 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 25 | Appalachian State University · Boone, NC | $53,369 | $16,836 | $9,325 | 90.1% |
| Appalachian State University reports median earnings of $53,369 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $9,325 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
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 United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after graduation. For 4 of the 30 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 of attendance, or the characteristics of the students a program admits. The range and median below cover the 30 schools with a published figure. The gap between first-ranked University of Wisconsin-Madison and second-ranked Cornell University is $1,298, while the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $47,156.
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