2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Tennessee
[Food & Nutrition](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/food-nutrition-services/food-nutrition-wellness/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for food & nutrition students.
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2026 Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in food & nutrition, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Food & Nutrition Schools
For return on investment in food & nutrition, no school beat Middle Tennessee State University this year. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public school located in the city of Murfreesboro. Students from in state pay about $10,266 in tuition and fees, compared with $31,574 for out-of-state students. Food & Nutrition graduates carry a median of $25,853 in student loans. Soon after graduation, food & nutrition degree recipients from Middle Tennessee State University generally make around $30,835. Set against $25,853 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 69%.
A rank of #2 makes Lipscomb University one of the best values for food & nutrition. Lipscomb University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. In-state tuition and fees average $40,572. Students borrow a median of $23,529 to complete the food & nutrition program here. Early-career food & nutrition graduates make about $48,949. Set against $23,529 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Lipscomb University admits about 68% of applicants.
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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 · 4 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.
