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2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

907 Colleges
$5,682 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$18,795 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Personal & Culinary Services School for You

In 2020-2021, 130,328 people earned a degree or certificate in personal and culinary services, making the major the #31 most popular in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking. This report analyzed 907 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for personal and culinary services 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Colleges.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Personal & Culinary Services

$5,740 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Clover Park Technical College the best value school in the United States for personal and culinary services students. CPTC is a small public school located in the city of Lakewood.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CPTC are $5,740 per year. While working on their degree, personal and culinary services majors at CPTC accumulate an average of around $15,685 in student debt.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Clover Park Technical College

#2

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johnson County Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at JCCC are $5,352 a year. After completing their degree, personal and culinary services graduates from JCCC carry an average student debtload of $8,586.

JCCC also claimed a spot on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Johnson County Community College Report

#3

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN
$6,041 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Paul College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,041 per year. Personal & Culinary Services majors at Saint Paul College take out an average of $16,240 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Saint Paul College

#4

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

Out of the 907 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the # 4 spot on the list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. Personal & Culinary Services majors at El Centro College take out an average of $12,971 in student loans while working on their egree.

El Centro College also claimed a spot on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at El Centro College

Out of the 907 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Chippewa Valley Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Eau Claire.

CVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,683 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, personal and culinary services majors at CVTC accumulate an average of around $9,395 in student debt.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CVTC also is in the top 15% of our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking.

Read More…

#6

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Lee College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for personal and culinary services students. It came in at #6 on the list. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Baytown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lee College are $4,302 a year.

Lee College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools list.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Lee College

$3,780 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Southeast Community College Area did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year. After completing their degree, personal and culinary services graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,400.

Read More…

$6,603 Average Tuition & Fees

Waukesha County Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCTC are $6,603 a year. Personal & Culinary Services majors at WCTC take out an average of $8,100 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Waukesha County Technical College

Madison Area Technical College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value personal and culinary services programs. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.

Madison College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,769 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that personal and culinary services majors at Madison College take out is $11,142.

In addition to its great value ranking, Madison College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools list.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Madison Area Technical College Report

$5,462 Average Tuition & Fees

Athens Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for personal and culinary services students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Athens, Athens Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Athens Technical College are $5,462 a year.

Read More…

#11

Mid-State Technical College

Wisconsin Rapids, WI
$6,351 Average Tuition & Fees

Mid-State Technical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking. Mid-State is a small public school located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Mid-State are $6,351 a year. The average amount in student loans that personal and culinary services majors at Mid-State take out is $5,250.

Read More…

#12

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.

Ridgewater College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,914 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that personal and culinary services majors at Ridgewater College take out is $9,500.

Ridgewater College also claimed a spot on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Ridgewater College Report

#13

Gwinnett Technical College

Lawrenceville, GA
$5,636 Average Tuition & Fees

Gwinnett Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking. GTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.

GTC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,636 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Gwinnett Technical College Report

#14

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX
$4,704 Average Tuition & Fees

Amarillo College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking. Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $4,704 per year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Amarillo College Report

#15

South Plains College

Levelland, TX
$4,276 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #15, South Plains College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Levelland.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. On average, personal and culinary services graduates from South Plains College take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$6,960 Average Tuition & Fees

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value personal and culinary services programs. Located in the rural area of Shell Lake, WITC is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WITC are $6,960 per year. While working on their degree, personal and culinary services majors at WITC accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Report

$5,462 Average Tuition & Fees

Georgia Northwestern Technical College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value personal and culinary services programs. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Georgia Northwestern Technical College are $5,462 a year. While working on their degree, personal and culinary services majors at Georgia Northwestern Technical College accumulate an average of around $3,020 in student debt.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Georgia Northwestern Technical College

$4,320 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #17, Arkansas State University - Newport did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.

ASUN undergraduate students pay an average of $4,320 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Arkansas State University - Newport Report

$5,552 Average Tuition & Fees

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value personal and culinary services programs. Located in the suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,552 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$5,452 Average Tuition & Fees

West Georgia Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for personal and culinary services students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Georgia Technical College are $5,452 a year. The average amount in student loans that personal and culinary services majors at West Georgia Technical College take out is $6,195.

Read More…

$6,510 Average Tuition & Fees

Kansas City Kansas Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools ranking. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Kansas City.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kansas City Kansas Community College are $6,510 a year. After completing their degree, personal and culinary services graduates from Kansas City Kansas Community College carry an average student debtload of $12,643.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Kansas City Kansas Community College Report

#22

Howard College

Big Spring, TX
$5,430 Average Tuition & Fees

Howard College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value personal and culinary services programs. Howard County Junior College is a small public school located in the town of Big Spring.

Howard County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,430 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$6,803 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #23, Gateway Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students. Located in the suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gateway Technical College are $6,803 per year. The average amount in student loans that personal and culinary services majors at Gateway Technical College take out is $9,500.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Gateway Technical College Report

$5,040 Average Tuition & Fees

San Jacinto Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for personal and culinary services students. It came in at #24 on the list. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year. While working on their degree, personal and culinary services majors at San Jacinto College accumulate an average of around $9,003 in student debt.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at San Jacinto Community College Report

#25

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, SC
$6,593 Average Tuition & Fees

Piedmont Technical College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools list. Piedmont Technical College is a small public school located in the distant town of Greenwood.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Piedmont Technical College are $6,593 per year. On average, personal and culinary services graduates from Piedmont Technical College take out $15,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Piedmont Technical College Report

Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools

#27

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA
#29

Oakland Community College

Bloomfield Hills, MI
#32

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX
#34

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX
#35

Ogeechee Technical College

Statesboro, GA
#36

Savannah Technical College

Savannah, GA
#38

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX
#41

Frank Phillips College

Borger, TX
#44

Cerritos College

Norwalk, CA
#45

Schoolcraft College

Livonia, MI
#46

Lanier Technical College

Oakwood, GA
#47

Grayson College

Denison, TX
#48

Meridian Community College

Meridian, MS
#49

John A Gupton College

Nashville, TN

Remaining Award Winners

This list shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 907 different United States personal and culinary services schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Kapiolani Community College Honolulu, HI
52 Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
53 Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA
54 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC
55 Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS
56 North Shore Community College Danvers, MA
57 Columbus Technical College Columbus, GA
58 Atlanta Technical College Atlanta, GA
59 Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI
60 Kilgore College Kilgore, TX
60 Lurleen B Wallace Community College Andalusia, AL
62 Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC
63 East Central Community College Decatur, MS
64 Century College San Juan, PR
65 Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA
65 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
65 Weatherford College Weatherford, TX
68 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
69 North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville, GA
70 Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ
71 Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI
71 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS
73 Southwestern Oregon Community College Coos Bay, OR
74 Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
75 Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO
76 Laurel Business Institute Uniontown, PA
77 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL
78 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
79 Valencia College Orlando, FL
80 Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Indiana, PA
81 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
82 Holmes Community College Goodman, MS
83 St Petersburg College Clearwater, FL
84 Butler Community College El Dorado, KS
85 ICPR Junior College - General Institutional Hato Rey, PR
86 National Louis University Chicago, IL
87 Atlantic Cape Community College Mays Landing, NJ
88 Southeastern Technical College Vidalia, GA
89 Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI
90 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC
91 Baker College Owosso, MI
92 University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College North Little Rock, AR
93 Citrus College Glendora, CA
94 Penn Commercial Business/Technical School Washington, PA
95 ICPR Junior College - Manati Manatí, PR
96 Universidad del Este Carolina, PR
97 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
97 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
99 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
100 Saint Louis Community College Saint Louis, MO
101 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
102 Douglas Education Center Monessen, PA
103 ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
104 Delaware Technical Community College - Terry Dover, DE
105 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
106 Navarro College Corsicana, TX
107 Hawaii Community College Hilo, HI
108 Central Oregon Community College Bend, OR
109 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC
110 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
111 Pensacola State College Pensacola, FL
112 SUNY Schenectady County Community College Schenectady, NY
112 Trinidad State Junior College Trinidad, CO
112 Sullivan University Louisville, KY
115 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX
116 Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Dallas, TX
117 Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY
117 ICPR Junior College - Arecibo Arecibo, PR
119 Lake Land College Mattoon, IL
119 Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service Houston, TX
121 Laurel Technical Institute MEADVILLE, PA
122 Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland, WA
123 Culinary Institute Inc Houston, TX
124 Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY
125 Escuela Hotelera de San Juan Hato Rey, PR
125 Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL
127 San Diego City College San Diego, CA
128 Stratford University Fairfax, VA
129 Nassau Community College Garden City, NY
130 Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH
131 Worsham College of Mortuary Science Wheeling, IL
132 Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI
133 Laurel Technical Institute Sharon, PA
134 Macomb Community College Warren, MI
135 Cleveland Community College Shelby, NC
136 Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Personal & Culinary Services students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools award.

Rank College Location
137 Jna Institute of Culinary Arts Philadelphia, PA
138 Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, CA
139 Mid-America College of Funeral Service Jeffersonville, IN
140 Hudson County Community College Jersey City, NJ
141 Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA
142 Liceo de Arte-Dise-O y Comercio Caguas, PR
143 SUNY Delhi Delhi, NY
144 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
145 Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL
146 Helms College Macon, GA
147 Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH
148 Arkansas State University - Mountain Home Mountain Home, AR
149 Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, NY
150 Southwestern Community College Sylva, NC
151 Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA
152 Sullivan County Community College Loch Sheldrake, NY
153 Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO
154 Pittsburgh Technical College Oakdale, PA
154 Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science Cincinnati, OH
156 Pima Community College Tucson, AZ
157 The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College Philadelphia, PA
158 Eastern Florida State College Cocoa, FL
159 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX
160 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
161 Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
162 Dorsey College Roseville Campus (Culinary) Roseville, MI
163 St Philip’s College San Antonio, TX
164 Robeson Community College Lumberton, NC
165 Alfred State College Alfred, NY
166 The Art Institute of Dallas Dallas, TX
167 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA
168 Pikes Peak Community College Colorado Springs, CO
168 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC
170 AI Miami International University of Art and Design Miami, FL
171 Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell, PA
172 ECPI University Virginia Beach, VA
172 Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC
174 City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College Chicago, IL
175 Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA
176 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI
177 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
177 Monroe College Bronx, NY
179 Carteret Community College Morehead City, NC
180 The Art Institute of Atlanta Atlanta, GA
181 Somerset Community College Somerset, KY
181 Vincennes University Vincennes, IN

Personal & Culinary Services by Region

View the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Personal & Culinary Services Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 107,895
Culinary Arts 19,806
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanic & Repair Technologies 96,336
Precision Production 52,913
Construction Trades 35,794
Transportation & Materials Moving 29,084

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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