by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study food science, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 28 colleges ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing food science, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
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Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Here are the top-ranked food science colleges for veterans:
Our analysis ranked University of Nebraska-Lincoln the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in food science. The school's overall veterans score is 91.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the food science program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Delaware came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. It scores 91.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full food science report for University of Delaware
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. Ohio State University-Main Campus scores 89.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about food science at Ohio State University-Main Campus
A rank of #4 makes Rutgers University-New Brunswick one of the top food science colleges for veteran students. It scores 88.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the food science program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. It scores 88.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
More about the food science program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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University of Florida placed #6 among the best food science colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about food science at University of Florida
University of Maryland-College Park landed the #7 spot for veterans pursuing food science. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the food science program at University of Maryland-College Park
Texas Tech University landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing food science. It scores 84.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about food science at Texas Tech University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo scores 84.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full food science report for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Iowa State University came in at #10 for veteran food science students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
Read more about food science at Iowa State University
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University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities scores 83.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full food science report for University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Clemson University landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing food science. Clemson University scores 81.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full food science report for Clemson University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh placed #13 among the best food science colleges for veterans. It scores 80.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about food science at North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Mississippi State University placed #14 among the best food science colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the food science program at Mississippi State University
Oregon State University landed the #15 spot for veterans pursuing food science. Oregon State University scores 80.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
See the full food science report for Oregon State University
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Purdue University-Main Campus placed #16 among the best food science colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full food science report for Purdue University-Main Campus
University of Wisconsin-Madison came in at #17 for veteran food science students this year. It scores 78.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full food science report for University of Wisconsin-Madison
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. It scores 78.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full food science report for California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
University of Massachusetts-Amherst came in at #19 for veteran food science students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 77.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3. Read more about food science at University of Massachusetts-Amherst
California State University-Fresno ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 76.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
More about the food science program at California State University-Fresno
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Michigan State University placed #21 among the best food science colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 76.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full food science report for Michigan State University
Cornell University came in at #22 for veteran food science students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 75.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 41.1, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the food science program at Cornell University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing food science. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scores 75.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full food science report for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of California-Davis landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing food science. It scores 74.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the food science program at University of California-Davis
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best food science colleges for veterans. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville scores 73.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full food science report for The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Not far behind, these food science colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying food science: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
