{
  "major": "Soil Sciences",
  "slug": "soil-sciences",
  "field": "Physical & Earth Sciences",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-soil-sciences-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 6,
  "shown": 6,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Southern Illinois University-Carbondale",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 55076,
      "net_price": 13297,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 497572,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point",
      "state": "WI",
      "median_earnings": 50046,
      "net_price": 14559,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 442224,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "The University of Tennessee-Knoxville",
      "state": "TN",
      "median_earnings": 55322,
      "net_price": 18976,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 477316,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Michigan State University",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 50770,
      "net_price": 19680,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 428980,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "Colorado State University-Fort Collins",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 46287,
      "net_price": 21279,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 377754,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "Oklahoma State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "OK",
      "median_earnings": 43421,
      "net_price": 17447,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 364422,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}