Top 10 Universities for Nutrition and Dietetics in 2027
By Kory White · Updated Nov 2026 · 5 min read
Direct answer
Cornell’s ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship leads our list: it reports a 100% RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt for the past 10+ years. Minnesota and Tennessee also report 100%, against 99% at Illinois. Every rate comes from the school’s own program page.
At a glance
#
Pick
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt
Applicants who want a coordinated master’s with a published tuition scholarship
Pick by what you want
Best overall
Cornell University Dietetic Internship
Best five-year BS plus MS
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Best coordinated master’s
University of Utah
Best four-year undergraduate program
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The ranking
1
Cornell University Dietetic Internship
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 100% one-year pass rate, reported for the past 10+ years.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% (Cornell reports a 100% pass rate for the past 10+ years)Program type: Dietetic internship, nine months, accredited by ACENDCost: Cost of attendance for the internship year estimated at $42,411
Cornell reports 100% of its Dietetic Internship graduates passing the RDN exam within one year of first attempt, and a 100% pass rate for the past 10+ years. The nine-month internship is ACEND-accredited. Cost of attendance for the internship year is estimated at $42,411.
Go ifGraduates with a DPD who want a nine-month supervised-practice year with the longest reported record at 100%
Skip ifYou still need your DPD coursework, because this is an internship only
Why #1 over #2: Its 100% rate is reported over the past 10+ years, a longer window than Minnesota’s four years.
2
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Photo: AlexiusHoratius / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 100% one-year pass rate across four years of graduates.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% for graduates January 2021 to December 2024Program type: Full-time dietetic internship, 37 weeks, with an MPS plus DI optionCost: Not published on the program pages we read; payment plans of 1, 2, 4 or 5 payments are offered
Minnesota reports that 100% of program graduates from January 2021 to December 2024 passed the RDN exam within one year of first attempt. The full-time internship runs 37 weeks and offers payment plans of 1, 2, 4 or 5 payments.
Go ifApplicants who want a four-year run of 100% in the published window
Skip ifYou want a program that combines coursework and supervised practice in one
Why #2 over #3: Its four-year window is longer than Tennessee’s 2022 to 2024.
3
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Photo: Bubbahotepblues / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 100% one-year pass rate from a five-year BS plus MS route.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% for graduates 2022 to 2024Program type: Five-year BS plus MS, ACEND-accredited as a Didactic Program and a Graduate Program, up to 20 students admitted to the MS each yearSupervised practice: 1,147 total hours of supervised experiential learningEmployment: 97% of 2022 to 2024 graduates employed in nutrition and dietetics
Tennessee reports a 100% one-year pass rate for 2022 to 2024 graduates, with 97% employed in nutrition and dietetics. The five-year BS plus MS admits up to 20 students a year to the MS and includes 1,147 hours of supervised experiential learning.
Go ifStudents who want the whole route to RDN eligibility in five years
Skip ifYou need a program with more than 20 graduate seats a year
Why #3 over #4: Its 2022 to 2024 window is longer than Utah’s single year, 2024.
4
University of Utah
Photo: University of Utah / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 100% one-year pass rate in a two-year coordinated master’s.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% of Coordinated Master’s Program graduates, as of 2024Program type: Coordinated master’s program, two years, accredited by ACENDFirst-attempt rate: 88.8% passed on the first attempt within the previous 5 years, the 87th percentile nationally
Utah reports that 100% of Coordinated Master’s Program graduates passed within one year of first attempt, as of 2024. The program takes two years and is ACEND-accredited. First-attempt passing was 88.8% over the previous 5 years.
Go ifApplicants who want coursework and supervised practice together in one master’s degree
Skip ifYou want a longer published window than the single year 2024
Why #4 over #5: It reports a window, 2024, where Texas A&M states none.
5
Missouri State University
Photo: Benpiano800 / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictPass rates published for each graduation year, with 100% in 2025.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% for the 2025 graduation year (8 passed within one year)Earlier years: 100% in 2022, 92.31% in 2023 and 94.12% in 2024Program type: Undergraduate didactic program, ACEND-accredited, followed by an internshipInternship placement: 97.4% of those who applied were accepted to an internship, five-year total 2021-22 to 2025-26
Missouri State reports 100% for the 2025 graduation year, with 8 passing within one year, and 100% in 2022, 92.31% in 2023 and 94.12% in 2024. Its undergraduate didactic program is ACEND-accredited.
Go ifUndergraduates who want year-by-year pass data published in a table
Skip ifYou want the pass rate for a single multi-year window
Why #5 over #6: It publishes the figure for every graduation year, which Texas A&M does not.
6
Texas A&M University, College Station
Photo: Donnie Ray Jones / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 100% one-year pass rate, though the page gives no cohort window.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 100% of graduates (no cohort window stated)First-try rate: More than 90% pass on the first tryProgram type: Non-degree dietetic internship, nine months, including 1,062 hours of ACEND-accredited supervised practice
Texas A&M states that 100% of its graduates pass the RDN exam within one year and more than 90% pass on the first try. The non-degree internship lasts nine months and includes 1,062 hours of supervised practice.
Go ifApplicants who already hold a master’s and a DPD and need only the internship
Skip ifYou want a published cohort window for the 100% figure
Why #6 over #7: Its 100% is above Illinois’s 99%, though it gives no cohort window.
7
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Photo: Daderot / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 99% one-year pass rate against a national 88%.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 99% (compared with a national average of 88%)Program type: Four-year BS Didactic Program in Dietetics, ACEND-accreditedNext steps: 86% of graduates have obtained or are obtaining a graduate degree or board-certified specialist credential
Illinois reports that 99% of Didactic Program graduates pass the RDN exam within one year of first attempt, compared with a national average of 88%. Another 86% of graduates have obtained or are obtaining a graduate degree or specialist credential.
Go ifUndergraduates who want a four-year DPD with a published 99% pass rate
Skip ifYou want a program that includes the supervised practice
Why #7 over #8: Its 99% is above Purdue’s 97.7%.
8
Purdue University
Photo: Julian Herzog (Website) / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 97.7% one-year pass rate for 2022 to 2024.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 97.7% for 2022 to 2024 (national rate 87.7%)Program type: Didactic Program in Dietetics, accredited by ACENDPlacement: 99% of applicants placed over the past four years
Purdue reports 97.7% of its Didactic Program graduates passing within one year of first attempt from 2022 to 2024, against a national rate of 87.7%. It also reports 99% of applicants placed over the past four years.
Go ifUndergraduates who want the pass rate set beside the national rate for the same years
Skip ifYou want to reach supervised practice inside one program
Why #8 over #9: Its 97.7% is above Penn State’s 96%.
9
Pennsylvania State University
Photo: George Chriss / CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 96% one-year pass rate across three years of alumni.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 96% of alumni who took the exam in the past three yearsProgram type: Nutrition and Dietetics option, Didactic Program in Dietetics, full ACEND accreditation through December 31, 2028Supervised practice placement: 92% of seniors who applied in the past four years were accepted
Penn State reports that 96% of alumni who took the exam in the past three years passed within one year of first attempt. Of seniors who applied to supervised practice in the past four years, 92% were accepted. Its accreditation runs through December 31, 2028.
Go ifUndergraduates who want a large department and a three-year pass figure
Skip ifYou want 100% reported
Why #9 over #10: Its three-year window is longer than TCU’s unstated current-year rate.
10
Texas Christian University
Photo: Amymay52 / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictA 96% one-year pass rate and a 70% tuition scholarship.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt: 96% (current program rate)Program type: Coordinated master’s program in dietetics, accredited by ACENDTuition: Admitted students receive a 70% merit-based tuition scholarship for graduate coursework
TCU reports a current program one-year pass rate of 96% for its ACEND-accredited coordinated master’s program. Admitted students receive a 70% merit-based tuition scholarship for graduate coursework.
Go ifApplicants who want a coordinated master’s with a published tuition scholarship
Skip ifYou want a published multi-year window for the pass rate
How we ranked these
We ranked programs by the RDN credentialing exam pass rate within one year of first attempt, the measure ACEND requires accredited programs to track, as each school reports it on its own program page. We included only programs that state an actual rate, not just the 80% target, and ties are ordered by the length of the cohort window the school states. Program types differ: dietetic internships, coordinated master’s programs and four-year didactic programs are all ACEND-accredited but cover different parts of the route to the RDN credential. Cohort windows differ too, so treat close gaps as ties. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
Which university has the best RD exam pass rate?
Six programs on our list report 100% within one year of first attempt: Cornell, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, Missouri State for 2025 and Texas A&M. Cornell is first because it reports 100% for the past 10+ years.
Do I need an ACEND-accredited program to become a registered dietitian?
Yes. The Commission on Dietetic Registration requires coursework and supervised practice in programs accredited by ACEND, plus a master’s degree to sit for the exam since January 1, 2024.
What is the difference between a dietetic internship, a coordinated program and a didactic program?
A didactic program (DPD) covers coursework, an internship covers supervised practice, and a coordinated program combines both. Cornell, Minnesota and Texas A&M are internships; Utah and TCU are coordinated master’s programs; Illinois, Purdue, Penn State and Missouri State are didactic programs.
Are these pass rates comparable?
Each school reports the same ACEND measure, the share who pass within one year of first attempt, but the cohort windows differ, from a single graduation year to more than 10 years, and the program types differ. Treat close gaps as ties.
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt (%) at a glance
Pennsylvania State University96 %
Texas Christian University96 %
Purdue University97.7 %
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign99 %
Cornell University Dietetic Internship100 %
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities100 %
University of Tennessee, Knoxville100 %
University of Utah100 %
Missouri State University100 %
Texas A&M University, College Station100 %
RDN exam pass rate within one year of first attempt (%), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
