Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Agriculture Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Agriculture Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

130 Colleges
$7,959 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$37,342 Avg Salary

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Agriculture Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 130 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for agriculture and agriculture operations students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Colleges.

Top 15% Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools

#1

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Our 2023 rankings named Ridgewater College the best value school in the United States for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the remote town of Willmar.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $5,914 per year. Agriculture & Agriculture Operations majors at Ridgewater College take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Ridgewater College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Agriculture Schools list.

Read More…

$3,780 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Community College Area. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Agriculture Schools list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Community College are $3,780 per year. While working on their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Southeast Community College accumulate an average of around $11,000 in student debt.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Southeast Community College Area Report

#3

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE
$4,590 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Agriculture Schools list. Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Grand Island.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Community College are $4,590 a year.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Central Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Agriculture Schools list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year.

BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Brigham Young University - Provo

#5

Bismarck State College

Bismarck, ND

Out of the 130 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bismarck State College landed the # 5 spot on the list. BSC is a small public school located in the city of Bismarck.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BSC are $6,930 a year. On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from BSC take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

BSC also claimed a spot on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

$5,483 Average Tuition & Fees

Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Agriculture Schools ranking. Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a fairly small public school located in the remote area of Curtis.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture are $5,483 a year. The average amount in student loans that agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture take out is $11,286.

Read full report on Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

$5,010 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Northeast Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Northeast is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.

Northeast undergraduate students pay an average of $5,010 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Northeast take out is $9,834.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Northeast Community College Report

Lake Area Technical Institute landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value agriculture and agriculture operations programs. Located in the remote town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.

LATI undergraduate students pay an average of $6,718 in tuition and fees each year. On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from LATI take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, LATI also did well on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Lake Area Technical Institute Report

North Dakota State College of Science did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State College of Science are $6,606 a year. After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from North Dakota State College of Science carry an average student debtload of $11,000.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State College of Science also is in the top 20% of our Best Agriculture Schools ranking.

Read More…

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #10 on the list. Southwest Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Fennimore.

Southwest Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $6,683 in tuition and fees each year.

Southwest Tech also claimed a spot on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

$6,840 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeast Iowa Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Agriculture Schools ranking. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NICC are $6,840 a year. After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from NICC carry an average student debtload of $10,054.

Read full report on Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Northeast Iowa Community College

#12

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA
$7,072 Average Tuition & Fees

Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,072 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that agriculture and agriculture operations majors at Kirkwood Community College take out is $10,875.

Read full report on Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Kirkwood Community College

Chippewa Valley Technical College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value agriculture and agriculture operations programs. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

CVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,683 in tuition and fees each year.

CVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Agriculture Schools list.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value agriculture and agriculture operations programs. BYU - I is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Rexburg.

BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year. On average, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from BYU - I take out $19,825 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Brigham Young University - Idaho Report

#15

Mitchell Technical College

Mitchell, SD

With a ranking of #15, Mitchell Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Located in the rural area of Mitchell, Mitchell Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Mitchell Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,524 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, agriculture and agriculture operations graduates from Mitchell Tech carry an average student debtload of $12,000.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mitchell Tech also did well on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Mitchell Technical College Report

Fox Valley Technical College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value agriculture and agriculture operations programs. FVTC is a large public school located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FVTC are $6,861 per year.

FVTC also claimed a spot on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Fox Valley Technical College Report

With a ranking of #17, North Shore Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. Located in the suburb of Danvers, North Shore Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Shore Community College are $10,920 a year.

North Shore Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Agriculture Schools list.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at North Shore Community College Report

#18

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for agriculture and agriculture operations students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the rural area of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 per year.

Southeast Tech also claimed a spot on our Best Agriculture Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Agriculture & Agriculture Operations at Southeast Technical College Report

South Dakota State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value agriculture and agriculture operations programs. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the town of Brookings.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. 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.

South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Agriculture Schools list.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Agriculture Schools award.

Rank College Location
20 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
21 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
22 University of Northwestern Ohio Lima, OH
23 University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, MN
24 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH
25 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
26 Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS

Agriculture & Agriculture Operations by Region

View the Best Value Agriculture Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.