2023 Best Culinary Arts Schools
Finding the Best Culinary Arts School for You
Culinary Arts is the #100 most popular major in the country with 19,806 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Culinary Arts Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 191 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for culinary arts majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Culinary Arts
Our analysis found Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles to be the best school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles take out is $6,811. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $344, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Institute of Culinary Education is a great place for culinary arts students. Located in the large city of New York, Institute of Culinary Education is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Culinary Arts majors at Institute of Culinary Education take out an average of $6,811 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $344, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 191 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona Culinary Institute landed the # 3 spot on the list. Arizona Culinary Institute is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Scottsdale.
While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at Arizona Culinary Institute accumulate an average of around $9,500 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $165, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder is a great place for culinary arts students. Escoffier - Boulder is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Boulder.
On average, culinary arts graduates from Escoffier - Boulder take out $12,906 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $146.
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Out of the 191 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Culinary Institute of America landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Hyde Park, The Culinary Institute of America is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at The Culinary Institute of America accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $450.
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Lincoln Technical Institute - Shelton ranked #6 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Lincoln Tech - Shelton is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Shelton.
Culinary Arts majors at Lincoln Tech - Shelton take out an average of $13,918 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $76.
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Located in the distant town of Indiana, IUP is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #8, Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. CVTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
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Metro Technology Centers ranked #9 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Metro Technology Centers is a small public school located in the large city of Oklahoma City.
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Boston University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Dallas.
On average, culinary arts graduates from El Centro College take out $12,971 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Johnson County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #12 on the list. JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at JCCC take out is $11,625.
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Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. Escoffier - Austin is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Austin.
After completing their degree, culinary arts graduates from Escoffier - Austin carry an average student debtload of $14,346. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $133, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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International Air and Hospitality Academy landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. International Air and Hospitality Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Vancouver.
Culinary Arts majors at International Air and Hospitality Academy take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $118.
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Saint Paul College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Saint Paul College take out is $19,381.
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With a ranking of #16, Madison Area Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
On average, culinary arts graduates from Madison College take out $12,588 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Hawaii Maui College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #17 on the list. UH Maui College is a small public school located in the city of Kahului.
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With a ranking of #18, Cerritos College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Norwalk.
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National Louis University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at NLU accumulate an average of around $15,333 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $479, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Des Moines Area Community College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. DMACC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.
While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $10,875 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #21, North Shore Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. North Shore Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Danvers.
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Clover Park Technical College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. CPTC is a small public school located in the small city of Lakewood.
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Pickens Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #23 on the list. Pickens Technical College is a fairly small public school located in the large city of Aurora.
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Waukesha County Technical College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
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CET, San Jose came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. CET, San Jose is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Jose.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Culinary Arts Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Emily Griffith Technical College | Denver, CO |
| 30 | Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport, PA |
| 31 | Tulsa Technology Center | Tulsa, OK |
| 32 | Davis Technical College | Kaysville, UT |
| 33 | Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh, NC |
| 34 | Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 35 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College | Cincinnati, OH |
| 36 | Atlantic Technical College | Coconut Creek, FL |
| 37 | Culinary Institute Inc | Houston, TX |
| 38 | Dorsey College Roseville Campus (Culinary) | Roseville, MI |
Culinary Arts by Region
View the Best Culinary Arts Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Culinary Arts Rankings
Culinary Arts Related Rankings by Major
Culinary Arts is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Culinary Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 107,895 |
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 2,354 |
| Casino Operations and Services | 192 |
| Other Personal & Culinary Services | 81 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 U.S. Army Europe Images.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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