Best Value Colleges for Agricultural Production Operations
Schools ranked by payback period — how quickly you recoup your investment through higher earnings.
14
Schools Ranked
$34,898
Avg. Earnings
3 yrs
Best Payback
495
Graduates
How we calculate value: Payback = (4 years of net price) / (major earnings - $35k baseline). A 2-year payback means you recoup your investment in 2 years through higher earnings vs. not attending college.
| # | School | Major Earnings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND · Public | $56,415 | 3 yrs |
| 2 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | $43,426 | 4 yrs |
| 3 | University of Wyoming Laramie, WY · Public | $39,729 | 7.9 yrs |
| 4 | Utah State University Logan, UT · Public | $39,909 | 11 yrs |
| 5 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public | $41,193 | 11.9 yrs |
| 6 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public | $36,134 | 50.1 yrs |
| 7 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY · Public | $35,060 | 952.5 yrs |
| 8 | Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public | $24,730 | N/A |
| 9 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH · Public | $27,048 | N/A |
| 10 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public | $31,133 | N/A |
| 11 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public | $24,615 | N/A |
| 12 | SUNY Morrisville Morrisville, NY · Public | $31,314 | N/A |
| 13 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX · Public | $31,133 | N/A |
| 14 | University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN · Public | $26,739 | N/A |
Payback uses earnings by major from the College Scorecard's field-of-study file, last updated June 2026, against net price from the June 2026 release. Scorecard publishes the two separately, so they are different vintages.