2026 Best Value Botany Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Botany](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/botany-plant-biology/botany/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong botany education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 15 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value botany schools.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Botany Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in botany, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Botany Schools
For return on investment in botany, no school beat Purdue University Main Campus this year. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Main Campus is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,992, with out-of-state students paying around $28,794. Botany graduates carry a median of $19,844 in student loans. Early-career botany graduates make about $63,111. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 50% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Wisconsin Madison earned it the #2 place for botany. Located in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,603, while out-of-state students pay about $42,103. Botany graduates carry a median of $21,813 in student loans. Soon after graduation, botany degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Madison generally make around $59,877. Set against $21,813 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Wisconsin Madison admits about 45% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in botany will find it at Ohio University Main Campus, which ranked #3. Set in the town of Athens, Ohio University Main Campus is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,158, with out-of-state students paying around $24,838. Botany graduates carry a median of $24,546 in student loans. Early-career botany graduates make about $49,736. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Ohio University Main Campus admits about 85% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Miami University Oxford earned it the #4 place for botany. Miami University Oxford is a large public school located in the town of Oxford. In-state tuition and fees average $17,519, compared with $38,965 for out-of-state students. Botany graduates carry a median of $24,177 in student loans. Soon after graduation, botany degree recipients from Miami University Oxford generally make around $49,700. Set against $24,177 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 75%.
Narrow Botany Schools by State
View All Botany 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 · 15 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
