2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
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 the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 29 schools in the Southwest Region 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Culinary Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Lee College the best value school in the Southwest Region for culinary arts students. Located in the small city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lee College are $4,302 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee College also is in the top 10% of our Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
Full Culinary Arts at Lee College Report
Request Information
Out of the 29 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at El Centro College take out is $12,971.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, El Centro College also is in the top 5% of our Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at El Centro College
Request Information
Out of the 29 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Plains College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Plains College are $4,276 per year.
Request Information
Out of the 29 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jacinto Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public school with a very large student population.
San Jacinto College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,040 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Culinary Arts at San Jacinto Community College Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Grayson College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Denison, Grayson College is a public college with a small student population.
Grayson College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,482 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Grayson College
Request Information
Del Mar College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. DMC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMC are $5,930 per year.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Del Mar College
Request Information
Houston Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value culinary arts programs. Houston Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Houston Community College are $5,460 per year. While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at Houston Community College accumulate an average of around $26,864 in student debt.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Houston Community College
Request Information
Kilgore College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. Kilgore College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kilgore.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kilgore College are $5,256 a year.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Kilgore College
Request Information
Austin Community College District landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value culinary arts programs. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Community College District are $10,590 per year.
Austin Community College District also claimed a spot on our Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Request Information
Tarrant County College District landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value culinary arts programs. Tarrant County College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fort Worth.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tarrant County College are $8,235 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Tarrant County College also did well on our Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Tarrant County College District
Request InformationBest Culinary Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best culinary arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 701 |
| Arizona | 87 |
| Oklahoma | 26 |
| New Mexico | 42 |
More Culinary Arts Rankings in the Southwest Region
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 Related Majors
| 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 29 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.
.jpg){kind=link}
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.