2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You
Culinary Arts is the #102 most popular major in Illinois with 253 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 3 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for culinary arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Culinary Arts
Our analysis found National Louis University to be the best value school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NLU are $14,169 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from NLU carry an average student debtload of $17,353. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $479, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Culinary Arts at National Louis University Report
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Out of the 3 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Joliet Junior College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Joliet Junior College is a large public school located in the suburb of Joliet.
Joliet Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, culinary arts graduates from Joliet Junior College take out $13,635 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Joliet Junior College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Kennedy-King College is a small public school located in the large city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kennedy-King College are $11,520 per year. On average, culinary arts graduates from Kennedy-King College take out $12,994 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Request InformationBest Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 228 |
| Ohio | 133 |
| Indiana | 12 |
| Wisconsin | 106 |
More Culinary Arts Rankings in Illinois
Culinary Arts Related Majors for Culinary Arts
One of 4 majors within the area of study, culinary arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 3 schools only.
- 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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