Majors
Best Colleges for Agriculture, by Earnings
74 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Agriculture, about 1,897 degrees a year. Across the 41 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $52,932 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $84,412 | 31 | 31.3% |
| 2 | Texas State University | TX | $71,237 | 47 | 89.3% |
| 3 | Cornell University | NY | $67,954 | 57 | 8.8% |
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus | CA | $64,669 | 23 | 98.1% |
| 5 | Illinois State University | IL | $63,600 | 109 | 88.2% |
| 6 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | $62,285 | 8 | 95% |
| 7 | California State University-Chico | CA | $61,369 | 52 | 92.7% |
| 8 | South Dakota State University | SD | $61,132 | 60 | 98.3% |
| 9 | Sam Houston State University | TX | $60,598 | 24 | 90.3% |
| 10 | Texas A&M University | TX | $59,213 | 24 | 57.4% |
| 11 | Western Illinois University | IL | $58,333 | 79 | 71.2% |
| 12 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | TX | $58,245 | 20 | 90.9% |
| 13 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | IL | $57,596 | 9 | 86.9% |
| 14 | University of Delaware | DE | $57,207 | 19 | 70.6% |
| 15 | Warner University | FL | $56,429 | 14 | 42.8% |
| 16 | North Carolina State University | NC | $53,969 | 40 | 41.7% |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | VA | $53,568 | 12 | 54.8% |
| 18 | Oregon State University | OR | $53,547 | 61 | 77.3% |
| 19 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | OR | $53,547 | 1 | 63.1% |
| 20 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | $52,997 | 12 | 87.5% |
| 21 | Pennsylvania State University | PA | $52,932 | 36 | 60.6% |
| 22 | Delaware State University | DE | $52,676 | 25 | 46.6% |
| 23 | Dickinson State University | ND | $52,529 | 15 | 37% |
| 24 | Truman State University | MO | $52,303 | 16 | 83.8% |
| 25 | Tennessee Technological University | TN | $52,085 | 52 | 76.1% |
| 26 | East Texas A&M University | TX | $51,983 | 27 | 92.2% |
| 27 | Western Kentucky University | KY | $51,065 | 66 | 93.9% |
| 28 | West Texas A & M University | TX | $50,396 | 31 | 98.7% |
| 29 | University of Missouri | MO | $49,480 | 43 | 78.5% |
| 30 | Prairie View A & M University | TX | $49,403 | 58 | 79.3% |
| 31 | Northwest Missouri State University | MO | $49,328 | 29 | 86.1% |
| 32 | Virginia State University | VA | $48,778 | 14 | 88.6% |
| 33 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | TN | $47,956 | 67 | 88.2% |
| 34 | North Carolina A & T State University | NC | $46,990 | 27 | 49.9% |
| 35 | Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | $46,412 | 7 | 90.5% |
| 36 | Austin Peay State University | TN | $45,020 | 37 | 96.4% |
| 37 | Cameron University | OK | $44,175 | 17 | |
| 38 | University of Hawaii at Hilo | HI | $44,096 | 18 | 60.6% |
| 39 | McNeese State University | LA | $43,901 | 50 | 78.3% |
| 40 | Tennessee State University | TN | $42,503 | 12 | 70.1% |
| 41 | University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez | PR | $35,896 | 11 | 56.5% |
33 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Agriculture graduates?
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($84,412), Texas State University ($71,237), Cornell University ($67,954), California State University-Stanislaus ($64,669), Illinois State University ($63,600) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Agriculture majors make?
The median across 41 colleges is $52,932 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $35,896 to $84,412.
Which colleges have the biggest Agriculture programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Tarleton State University (113), Illinois State University (109), Western Illinois University (79), The University of Tennessee-Martin (67), Western Kentucky University (66).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Agriculture, General". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
