2023 Best Agriculture Schools
Finding the Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations School for You
In 2020-2021, 49,899 people earned a degree or certificate in agriculture and agriculture operations, making the major the #21 most popular in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Agriculture Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 130 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools in the United States
Check out the agriculture and agriculture operations programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools
Our analysis found Bismarck State College to be the best school for agriculture and agriculture operations students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. BSC is a small public school located in the small city of Bismarck.
On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from BSC take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Cornell University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best agriculture and agriculture operations schools in the United States. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors at Cornell take out an average of $14,290 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $485, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ridgewater College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Agriculture Schools list. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the town of Willmar.
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors at Ridgewater College take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 130 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the # 4 spot on the list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
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The excellent programs at North Shore Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best agriculture and agriculture operations schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Danvers, North Shore Community College is a public school with a small student population.
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South Dakota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #6 on the list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the town of Brookings.
After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from South Dakota State carry an average student debtload of $23,230. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $184, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #7 on this year’s Best Agriculture Schools list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,967 in student debt.
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Iowa State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #8 on the list. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ames.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Iowa State accumulate an average of around $22,502 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $208, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Lake Area Technical Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.
On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from LATI take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best agriculture and agriculture operations programs. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from UW - River Falls take out $22,479 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $115.
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With a ranking of #11, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of around $19,880 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $353.
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Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Agriculture Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $18,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $383, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Agriculture Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $21,016.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #14 on this year’s Best Agriculture Schools list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at UNL accumulate an average of around $20,507 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $187, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Agriculture Schools list. Purdue is a very large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors at Purdue take out an average of $18,977 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $364.
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Kansas State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best agriculture and agriculture operations programs. K -State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.
While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at K -State accumulate an average of around $22,909 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $258, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on this year’s best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Platteville.
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors at UW - Platteville take out an average of $19,213 in student loans while working on their egree.
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North Dakota State College of Science came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Agriculture Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from North Dakota State College of Science carry an average student debtload of $11,000.
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With a ranking of #19, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on this year’s best schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from Texas A&M College Station carry an average student debtload of $19,787. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $286.
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Here are some additional great schools for Agriculture students that almost earned our Best Agriculture Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute | Wooster, OH |
| 21 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | Fennimore, WI |
| 22 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 23 | The University of Findlay | Findlay, OH |
| 24 | University of Minnesota - Crookston | Crookston, MN |
| 25 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 26 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations by Region
View the Best Agriculture Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Rankings
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Related Rankings by Major
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 8,646 |
| Animal Science | 8,294 |
| Agricultural Economics & Business | 8,098 |
| General Agriculture | 3,370 |
| Horticulture | 3,234 |
| Plant Sciences | 3,175 |
| Agricultural Production | 3,066 |
| Food Science Technology | 2,532 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 1,280 |
| Animal Services | 990 |
| Agricultural Public Services | 845 |
| Other Agriculture | 602 |
| Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs | 527 |
| Soil Sciences | 406 |
| Food Processing | 237 |
| International Agriculture | 122 |
| Veterinary Administrative Services | 118 |
Majors Similar to Agriculture & Agriculture Operations
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to W.carter.
More about our data sources and methodologies.