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2026 Best Value Food Science Technology Schools in Illinois

[Food Science Technology](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/food-science-technology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for food science technology students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Food Science Technology Schools in Illinois

2026 Best Value Food Science Technology Schools in Illinois

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the food science technology degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Food Science Technology Schools

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Champaign, IL

$18,267 In-State Tuition & Fees

$19,000 Avg Student Debt

$81,054 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, our #1 best value for food science technology in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,267, while out-of-state students pay about $40,096. Food Science Technology graduates carry a median of $19,000 in student loans. Early-career food science technology graduates make about $65,432. That is a strong return on a $19,000 median debt. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.

2

Illinois Institute Of Technology
Chicago, IL

$52,202 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,774 Avg Student Debt

$82,592 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Illinois Institute Of Technology earned it the #2 place for food science technology. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $52,202. Students borrow a median of $26,774 to complete the food science technology program here. Food Science Technology graduates of Illinois Institute Of Technology earn a median of $71,315 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Illinois Institute Of Technology admits about 55% of applicants.

View All Food Science Technology Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.