2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Culinary Arts School for You
Culinary Arts is the #141 most popular major in California with 408 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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for culinary arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 California Schools for Affordable Quality in Culinary Arts
Our 2023 rankings named Cerritos College the best value school in California for culinary arts students. Located in the large suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Cerritos College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,346 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Cerritos College
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Riverside City College is a great value for culinary arts students. Riverside City College is a large public school located in the city of Riverside.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year.
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The excellent programs at Los Angeles Trade Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Los Angeles Trade Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, culinary arts graduates from Los Angeles Trade Technical College carry an average student debtload of $7,633.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Antelope Valley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Lancaster, UAV is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, culinary arts graduates from UAV carry an average student debtload of $9,220.
Full Culinary Arts at University of Antelope Valley Report
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The excellent programs at Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in California. Located in the large suburb of Clovis, Fresno Institute of Technology is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Culinary Arts majors at Fresno Institute of Technology take out an average of $13,440 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, culinary arts graduates from Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles take out $6,811 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $344.
Full Culinary Arts at Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles Report
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means CET, San Jose is a great value for culinary arts students. Located in the city of San Jose, CET, San Jose is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Request InformationBest Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 158 |
| Oregon | 66 |
| Nevada | 61 |
| Hawaii | 111 |
| Alaska | 10 |
More Culinary Arts Rankings in California
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 7 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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