Best Plant Sciences Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
45
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$141,277
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$27,490
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
California State University-Fresno
Grad rate: 55.5% |
CA | +$277,410 | $60,478 | $18,650 | $13,000 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
South Dakota State University
Grad rate: 59.5% |
SD | +$152,037 | $55,715 | $22,761 | $23,125 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Grad rate: 85.3% |
CA | +$128,548 | $55,536 | $29,918 | $16,666 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of Minnesota-Crookston
Grad rate: 51.5% |
MN | +$125,059 | $54,917 | $25,290 | $23,793 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | +$42,670 | $50,264 | $25,590 | $15,000 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Northwest Missouri State University
Grad rate: 55.6% |
MO | +$32,961 | $49,837 | $22,906 | $23,818 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Grad rate: 61.3% |
WI | +$27,985 | $48,700 | $20,049 | $19,125 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Wyoming
Grad rate: 60.3% |
WY | +$17,236 | $47,336 | $22,371 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Iowa State University
Grad rate: 75.0% |
IA | +$11,709 | $48,631 | $23,309 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Grad rate: 65.4% |
NE | -$42,235 | $46,433 | $25,341 | $21,875 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Grad rate: 44.8% |
TX | -$56,138 | $45,063 | $22,262 | $21,000 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Grad rate: 84.6% |
NC | -$61,282 | $45,554 | $25,613 | $22,156 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Utah State University
Grad rate: 55.8% |
UT | -$70,680 | $42,676 | $21,050 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | -$70,898 | $45,945 | $32,134 | $15,750 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 51.6% |
NM | -$79,280 | $42,222 | $20,930 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Grad rate: 60.0% |
WI | -$85,182 | $43,158 | $19,576 | $22,251 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Idaho
Grad rate: 61.0% |
ID | -$92,716 | $41,898 | $22,669 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | -$101,641 | $43,869 | $29,320 | $16,105 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Grad rate: 66.5% |
CA | -$105,273 | $42,182 | $22,672 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Arkansas State University
Grad rate: 53.9% |
AR | -$116,130 | $41,779 | $22,823 | $15,125 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Grad rate: 53.7% |
OR | -$124,623 | $42,955 | $27,461 | $25,096 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Oregon State University
Grad rate: 70.3% |
OR | -$134,483 | $42,955 | $29,926 | $25,096 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Auburn University
Grad rate: 80.0% |
AL | -$138,523 | $43,338 | $34,402 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Chadron State College
Grad rate: 41.1% |
NE | -$141,093 | $40,159 | $20,672 | $15,989 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Kansas State University
Grad rate: 69.5% |
KS | -$141,175 | $41,508 | $25,441 | $21,905 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Mississippi State University
Grad rate: 63.0% |
MS | -$152,647 | $41,123 | $26,922 | $20,311 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Missouri-Columbia
Grad rate: 75.7% |
MO | -$153,569 | $41,325 | $28,948 | $17,983 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Southeast Missouri State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
MO | -$156,023 | $39,932 | $23,337 | $15,789 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate: 86.3% |
VA | -$172,907 | $41,159 | $32,040 | $20,687 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
Grad rate: 42.0% |
NY | -$182,072 | $38,318 | $27,108 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Grad rate: 46.1% |
CA | -$193,428 | $37,211 | $24,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | -$214,400 | $36,834 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Montana State University
Grad rate: 57.1% |
MT | -$219,931 | $37,143 | $23,779 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Grad rate: 66.8% |
CO | -$246,396 | $37,020 | $29,696 | $20,750 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Missouri State University-Springfield
Grad rate: 57.8% |
MO | -$269,165 | $34,594 | $24,022 | $18,487 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Delaware Valley University
Grad rate: 53.2% |
PA | -$275,504 | $39,957 | $58,661 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | -$297,695 | $32,288 | $21,719 | $12,281 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Clemson University
Grad rate: 86.6% |
SC | -$310,343 | $34,848 | $34,494 | $21,724 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Middle Tennessee State University
Grad rate: 54.3% |
TN | -$310,756 | $31,013 | $22,754 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Michigan State University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
MI | -$322,169 | $33,634 | $30,528 | $24,250 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grad rate: 84.6% |
MN | -$327,429 | $32,470 | $29,013 | $15,391 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
West Virginia University
Grad rate: 61.7% |
WV | -$346,302 | $31,108 | $23,678 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Grad rate: 44.5% |
PR | -$367,840 | $28,067 | $19,190 | $9,200 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Grad rate: 73.0% |
TN | -$488,433 | $25,633 | $32,658 | $22,564 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Cornell University
Grad rate: 95.2% |
NY | -$604,730 | $29,482 | $83,196 | $15,990 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Plant Sciences Degrees by State
Browse Plant Sciences programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.