Best Culinary Schools in the US

Choosing the Best Culinary School

If your dream is to become a professional chef or have a successful career in the foodservice industry, attending culinary school might be the right step for you. While there are several prestigious institutions across the country, most prospective chefs will need to consider location and financial situation, among other factors, rather than selecting a school on prestige alone.

To help you the find the right program for your needs, we've compiled a list of the best culinary schools based on a variety of factors, such as cost and employment rate. We've also included answers to some of the most common questions for those who want more information about the application process, financial investment, and length of culinary school programs.

Browse each section for more information, or jump straight to our ranking of the best culinary schools in America.

Table of Contents

  1. What is a Culinary School?
  2. How to Get into Culinary School
  3. How Much is Culinary School?
  4. How Many Years is Culinary School?
  5. Top Culinary Schools

What is a Culinary School?

A culinary or cooking school is an institution focused on training students in the fundamentals of food preparation. Programs cover a range of topics from theoretical situation and knowledge training to practical application of skills. Examples of lessons may include kitchen safety, inventory management, professionalism training, knife skills, baking, preparation techniques, and plating or presentation. Earning a culinary degree prepares you to work as a chef, sous chef, or food service manager in a wide variety of settings, from restaurants and hotels to hospitals, catering businesses, and specialty shops. With so many career paths to choose from, many of the top culinary schools provide options to specialize in an area of interest.

How to Get into Culinary School

Prerequisites for acceptance into culinary school can vary by program, but it isn't uncommon for a high school diploma or equivalent to be required. Some programs may also require a minimum GPA or age threshold (often 17), but cooking skills are rarely required. In addition, you should be prepared to be patient while honing your craft after completing your program of choice. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)1, the median annual salary for chefs and head cooks is roughly $53,380 – but it will take some time to work your way up to that level and establish yourself in the industry.

How Much is Culinary School?

The cost of culinary school will also vary depending on which school you choose, as well as the type and length of the program you pursue. As a rule of thumb, shorter programs offered by community colleges will cost less than longer programs offered by universities. As with any higher-education decision, tuition is often lower for in-state students than out-of-state students.

You will also want to consider the reputation of a school and whether they are accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Schools and programs with accreditation generally have a higher reputation, and some employers will only hire individuals who have a degree from an accredited culinary school. ACF accreditation2 can create additional opportunities to apply for financial aid, so keep an eye out for those opportunities in your search.

How Many Years is Culinary School?

The length of culinary school will depend on the program type you choose. If you're a full-time student completing a bachelor's degree, your program will likely last four years. Associate's degrees are also available from universities and community colleges with a two-year timeline, and some institutions offer diploma or certificate programs that run between six months to a year and offer longer classes and more real-world experience.

Top Culinary Schools in 2022

Now that we've covered the basics, take your culinary school search to the next level with our ranking of the best culinary schools in the US. We reviewed more than 700 schools and compared several criteria, including number of program options and annual cost.

The information we used comes from the most recent release of College Scorecard3 data from the U.S. Department of Education. This annual report covers everything from acceptance rate and school size to career outcomes for graduates.

Once we compiled data for each institution, schools were ranked by attribute and assigned weights to determine which institutions offer students the most program flexibility at an affordable rate while still providing a strong education that will lead to job placement and financial success. Our ranking of the 25 best culinary schools is based off of the final tallied numbers.


Ranking Criteria

  • Number of Program Options (Higher is better)
  • Average Annual Cost (Lower is better)
  • Average Early Career Income (Higher is better)
  • Average Established Career Income (Higher is better)
  • Average Employment Rate (Higher is better)

SchoolLocation
Programs
Average Cost
Early Career Earnings
Established Career Earnings
Employment Rate
Collin CollegeMcKinney, TX
2
$10,453
$35,400
$41,600
97.56%
Saddleback CollegeMission Viejo, CA
2
$11,914
$33,700
$46,000
97.30%
Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell, SD
2
$15,647
$40,300
$45,400
97.76%
Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH
3
$49,805
$43,300
$50,200
97.33%
Southeast Community CollegeLincoln, NE
2
$10,843
$33,100
$40,200
97.64%
Howard Community CollegeColumbia, MD
2
$13,908
$34,100
$44,000
97.60%
North Dakota State College of ScienceWahpeton, ND
2
$14,699
$41,100
$47,700
97.02%
Lake Washington Institute of TechnologyKirkland, WA
2
$13,846
$37,500
$47,200
96.99%
Frederick Community CollegeFrederick, MD
2
$10,567
$31,200
$42,100
97.63%
Culinary Institute of AmericaHyde Park, NY
4
$48,003
$37,300
$46,300
96.87%
Bucks County Community CollegeNewtown, PA
2
$11,764
$32,800
$42,300
97.37%
Mission CollegeSanta Clara, CA
2
$12,395
$33,900
$42,700
97.14%
St. Cloud Technical & Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN
2
$13,173
$35,300
$42,100
97.24%
County College of MorrisRandolph, NJ
2
$13,322
$33,900
$43,200
97.30%
Suffolk County Community CollegeSelden, NY
2
$11,578
$32,200
$42,400
97.18%
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA
1
$15,173
$37,000
$47,200
97.77%
Salt Lake Community CollegeSalt Lake City, UT
2
$11,271
$33,700
$43,400
96.70%
Montgomery CollegeRockville, MD
2
$14,935
$34,000
$46,000
97.13%
Nassau Community CollegeGarden City, NY
2
$11,928
$32,900
$43,900
96.78%
Red Rocks Community CollegeLakewood, CO
2
$16,614
$34,800
$43,300
97.40%
Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsport, PA
3
$31,376
$38,600
$46,100
96.84%
Washburn UniversityTopeka, KS
2
$19,676
$36,100
$43,500
97.38%
College of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IL
2
$12,650
$33,000
$41,500
97.15%
North Central Kansas Technical CollegeBeloit, KS
2
$16,344
$35,100
$41,200
97.71%
Diablo Valley CollegePleasant Hill, CA
2
$12,756
$33,700
$47,800
96.66%

Sources

  1. Chefs and Head Cooks. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed March 2022.
  2. Postsecondary and Secondary Accreditation for Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Programs. American Culinary Federation. Accessed March 2022.
  3. Most Recent Institution and Field of Study Data. College Scorecard. Accessed March 2022.