---

2026 Best Value Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management Schools in the Southeast Region

[Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/fishing-fisheries-sciences/fishing-and-fisheries-sciences-and-management/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong fishing & fisheries sciences & management education at a price that pays off.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for fishing & fisheries sciences & management students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management Schools in the Southeast Region

2026 Best Value Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management Schools in the Southeast Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in fishing & fisheries sciences & management, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management Schools

1

University Of Florida
Gainesville, FL

$6,381 In-State Tuition & Fees

$17,669 Avg Student Debt

$71,588 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is University Of Florida, our #1 best value for fishing & fisheries sciences & management in the Southeast Region. University Of Florida is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,381, with out-of-state students paying around $28,659. Students borrow a median of $17,669 to complete the fishing & fisheries sciences & management program here. Early-career fishing & fisheries sciences & management graduates make about $53,216. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 24%.

2

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University
Blacksburg, VA

$15,948 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,393 Avg Student Debt

$81,698 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in fishing & fisheries sciences & management will find it at Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,948 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $37,764. Typical student debt for fishing & fisheries sciences & management graduates is $23,393. Early-career fishing & fisheries sciences & management graduates make about $60,004. That is a strong return on a $23,393 median debt. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University admits about 55% of applicants.

View All Fishing & Fisheries Sciences & Management Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled 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.