by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Food Science is the 305th most popular major in the country with 1,649 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major” ranking analyzed 78 colleges that offered a degree in food science. That schools that top this list have a program in food science in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The food sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for food sciences students.
Out of the 78 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Alabama A & M University landed the #1 spot on the list. Normal, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 17 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Food Science at Illinois Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 46 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Delaware Valley University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major. DelVal is a private not-for-profit institution located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 78 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Mary University landed the #5 spot on the list. Mount Mary is a small school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 8 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #6. UW - Stout is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 ’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Kansas State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Kansas State University is a fairly large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 64 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Clemson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Clemson University is a large school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 60 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 121 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Food Science Report
With a ranking of #10, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 89 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s food sciences students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #12. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 46 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Food Science Report
University of Maryland Eastern Shore landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. UMES is a small school located in Princess Anne, Maryland that handed out 8 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Michigan State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 90 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Mississippi State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and it awarded 31 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maine landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. UMaine is a fairly large public school situated in Orono, Maine. It awarded 18 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of California - Davis ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 59 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Chapman University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 15 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 24 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Food Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s food sciences degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Hampshire College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major list. Hampshire College is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 ’s food sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Food Science Report
Clarke University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Food Sciences Major ranking. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 0 ’s food sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
