Majors
Best Colleges for Food Science and Technology, by Earnings
63 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology, about 1,078 degrees a year. Across the 27 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $70,571 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | $85,445 | 17 | 45.2% |
| 2 | Cornell University | NY | $84,147 | 31 | 8.8% |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University | PA | $83,112 | 32 | 60.6% |
| 4 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $80,979 | 27 | 58.1% |
| 5 | Virginia Tech | VA | $80,161 | 17 | 54.8% |
| 6 | Kansas State University | KS | $78,367 | 38 | 81.7% |
| 7 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | MA | $77,771 | 14 | 59.7% |
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | CA | $75,601 | 31 | 75.2% |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $75,466 | 81 | 31.3% |
| 10 | Purdue University | IN | $75,060 | 36 | 49.9% |
| 11 | University of Maryland | MD | $73,677 | 34 | 44.8% |
| 12 | North Carolina State University | NC | $72,782 | 17 | 41.7% |
| 13 | University of Minnesota | MN | $70,705 | 17 | 79.8% |
| 14 | University of California-Davis | CA | $70,571 | 80 | 41.8% |
| 15 | Ohio State University | OH | $70,537 | 15 | 60.6% |
| 16 | Michigan State University | MI | $70,380 | 29 | 84.8% |
| 17 | Delaware Valley University | PA | $70,222 | 6 | 93.2% |
| 18 | Washington State University | WA | $68,719 | 23 | 86.6% |
| 19 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | $68,114 | 14 | 41.6% |
| 20 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $66,226 | 72 | 42.4% |
| 21 | Iowa State University | IA | $65,943 | 17 | 88.7% |
| 22 | California State University-Fresno | CA | $64,225 | 48 | 95.3% |
| 23 | University of Florida | FL | $64,078 | 19 | 24.2% |
| 24 | Oregon State University | OR | $63,531 | 27 | 77.3% |
| 25 | Clemson University | SC | $63,501 | 60 | 38.3% |
| 26 | Appalachian State University | NC | $53,369 | 3 | 90.1% |
| 27 | Mississippi State University | MS | $39,940 | 43 | 77.6% |
36 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 Food Science and Technology graduates?
University of Wisconsin-Madison ($85,445), Cornell University ($84,147), Pennsylvania State University ($83,112), Rutgers University-New Brunswick ($80,979), Virginia Tech ($80,161) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Food Science and Technology majors make?
The median across 27 colleges is $70,571 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $39,940 to $85,445.
Which colleges have the biggest Food Science and Technology programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (81), University of California-Davis (80), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (72), Clemson University (60), California State University-Fresno (48).
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 "Food Science and Technology". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
