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.
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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 2023 rankings named Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles the best school in the United States for culinary arts students. Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize 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.
The excellent programs at Institute of Culinary Education helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in the United States. Located in the 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.
Full Culinary Arts at Institute of Culinary Education Report
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.
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 medium-sized 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Culinary Institute of America. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. 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.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Shelton ranked #6 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Lincoln Tech - Shelton is a fairly 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.
Full Culinary Arts at Lincoln Technical Institute - Shelton Report
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
Metro Technology Centers came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. Metro Technology Centers is a small public school located in the city of Oklahoma City.
Boston University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
El Centro College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. 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.
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.
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 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.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin
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 small private for-profit school located in the midsize 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.
Full Culinary Arts at International Air and Hospitality Academy Report
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 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.
Madison Area Technical College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. 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.
With a ranking of #17, University of Hawaii Maui College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. UH Maui College is a small public school located in the small city of Kahului.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at University of Hawaii Maui College
Cerritos College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Schools list. Cerritos College is a large public school located in the suburb of Norwalk.
With a ranking of #19, National Louis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.
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.
North Shore Community College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. North Shore Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Danvers.
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.
Pickens Technical College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. Pickens Technical College is a small public school located in the large city of Aurora.
Waukesha County Technical College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools ranking. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
Full Culinary Arts at Waukesha County Technical College Report
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.
Rest of the Top Best Culinary Arts Schools
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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