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 small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Institute of Culinary Education. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, Institute of Culinary Education is a private for-profit school 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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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Arizona Culinary Institute is a great place for culinary arts students. Arizona Culinary Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Escoffier - Boulder is a moderately-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.
Full Culinary Arts at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Culinary Institute of America is a great place for culinary arts students. Located in the suburb of Hyde Park, The Culinary Institute of America is a private not-for-profit school 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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With a ranking of #6, Lincoln Technical Institute - Shelton did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. Lincoln Tech - Shelton is a small private for-profit school located in the 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 came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. Located in the 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 medium-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 city of Oklahoma City.
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Boston University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit college 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 very 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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With a ranking of #12, Johnson County Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. JCCC is a 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. Escoffier - Austin is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #14 on the list. International Air and Hospitality Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized 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 ranked #15 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school 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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Madison Area Technical College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the large 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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Cerritos College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. Cerritos College is a 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #20 on the list. 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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North Shore Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #21 on the list. North Shore Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Danvers.
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Clover Park Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #22 on the list. CPTC is a small public school located in the city of Lakewood.
Full Culinary Arts at Clover Park Technical College Report
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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 city of Aurora.
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Waukesha County Technical College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.
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CET, San Jose did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #25 on the list. CET, San Jose is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large 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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