Federal Data — September 2026
Culinary Schools: What They Cost And What Graduates Actually Earn
Culinary programs carry some of the widest gaps between cost and first-year earnings in the federal data. Here is the picture, school by school.
See The SchoolsU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 88 US institutions that report both figures, a culinary arts program leaves $13,000 of median federal debt and produces $25,389 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 6.4 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.
Culinary training costs more than most trade credentials and pays less in the first year, which puts it near the bottom of the payback ranking.
Both routes exist in this field, and they are not equivalent. The certificate leaves $10,907 of median debt against $16,000 for the associate degree, with first-year earnings of $22,778 and $26,268 respectively. On payback the certificate comes out ahead: 5.6 months against 7.8.
The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.
The Numbers
Culinary Arts at a glance
School By School
The 60 culinary arts programs with the strongest reported outcomes
Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.
| # | School▲▼ | Credential▲▼ | Months▲▼ | Debt▲▼ | Earnings▲▼ | Completion▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crescent City Bartending SchoolNew Orleans, LA | Certificate | 2.8 | $3,167 | $13,763 | 89% |
| 2 | Dallas CollegeDallas, TX | Certificate | 3.6 | $9,218 | $30,484 | 32% |
| 3 | Institute of Culinary EducationNew York, NY | Certificate | 3.6 | $6,777 | $22,759 | 75% |
| 4 | Institute of Culinary EducationPasadena, CA | Certificate | 3.6 | $6,777 | $22,759 | 77% |
| 5 | City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King CollegeChicago, IL | Associate | 3.9 | $6,285 | $19,447 | 31% |
| 6 | Arizona Culinary InstituteScottsdale, AZ | Certificate | 3.9 | $9,500 | $29,223 | 91% |
| 7 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeCincinnati, OH | Associate | 4.0 | $12,145 | $36,330 | 16% |
| 8 | Atlantic Cape Community CollegeMays Landing, NJ | Associate | 4.2 | $11,000 | $31,639 | 30% |
| 9 | Escuela Hotelera de San JuanHato Rey, PR | Certificate | 4.2 | $3,500 | $10,107 | 85% |
| 10 | Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL | Certificate | 4.3 | $5,163 | $14,366 | 58% |
| 11 | Kapiolani Community CollegeHonolulu, HI | Associate | 4.5 | $10,087 | $26,882 | 22% |
| 12 | Remington College-Dallas CampusDallas, TX | Certificate | 4.5 | $9,500 | $25,389 | 38% |
| 13 | Remington College-Memphis CampusMemphis, TN | Certificate | 4.5 | $9,500 | $25,389 | 38% |
| 14 | Remington College-Houston Southeast CampusLeague City, TX | Certificate | 4.5 | $9,500 | $25,389 | 60% |
| 15 | Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MO | Associate | 4.9 | $10,501 | $25,879 | 33% |
| 16 | Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY | Associate | 4.9 | $6,439 | $15,793 | 28% |
| 17 | Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA | Certificate | 4.9 | $12,000 | $29,155 | 56% |
| 18 | YTI Career Institute-YorkYork, PA | Certificate | 4.9 | $11,667 | $28,351 | 45% |
| 19 | Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI | Associate | 4.9 | $14,234 | $34,736 | 65% |
| 20 | Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX | Associate | 4.9 | $11,000 | $26,927 | 46% |
| 21 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA | Associate | 5.0 | $11,167 | $26,913 | 39% |
| 22 | Culinary Institute of AmericaHyde Park, NY | Associate | 5.1 | $12,000 | $28,049 | 63% |
| 23 | Southwestern Oregon Community CollegeCoos Bay, OR | Certificate | 5.2 | $12,000 | $27,727 | 40% |
| 24 | Southwestern Oregon Community CollegeCoos Bay, OR | Associate | 5.2 | $12,000 | $27,855 | 40% |
| 25 | Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderBoulder, CO | Certificate | 5.2 | $11,093 | $25,682 | 48% |
| 26 | Emily Griffith Technical CollegeDenver, CO | Certificate | 5.3 | $9,960 | $22,599 | 97% |
| 27 | Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI | Certificate | 5.3 | $12,125 | $27,630 | 21% |
| 28 | Institute of TechnologyClovis, CA | Certificate | 5.3 | $9,500 | $21,509 | 73% |
| 29 | The Culinary School of Fort WorthFort Worth, TX | Certificate | 5.3 | $9,500 | $21,608 | 85% |
| 30 | Niagara County Community CollegeSanborn, NY | Associate | 5.4 | $12,000 | $26,514 | 32% |
| 31 | SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAlfred, NY | Associate | 5.4 | $12,000 | $26,598 | 55% |
| 32 | Walnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA | Associate | 5.6 | $12,000 | $25,893 | 58% |
| 33 | Florida Education InstituteMiami, FL | Certificate | 5.6 | $9,500 | $20,531 | 74% |
| 34 | Baker CollegeOwosso, MI | Associate | 5.7 | $12,000 | $25,204 | 36% |
| 35 | Montgomery County Community CollegeBlue Bell, PA | Associate | 5.8 | $15,417 | $31,763 | 28% |
| 36 | ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach, VA | Certificate | 5.8 | $9,445 | $19,639 | 42% |
| 37 | NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonville, AR | Certificate | 5.8 | $12,500 | $25,996 | 31% |
| 38 | NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonville, AR | Associate | 5.8 | $12,500 | $26,025 | 31% |
| 39 | Hudson County Community CollegeJersey City, NJ | Associate | 5.9 | $12,900 | $26,170 | 26% |
| 40 | Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyOkmulgee, OK | Associate | 5.9 | $12,500 | $25,272 | 42% |
| 41 | Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX | Certificate | 6.1 | $10,721 | $21,144 | 46% |
| 42 | Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City, IA | Associate | 6.2 | $12,530 | $24,061 | 50% |
| 43 | Southeast Community College AreaLincoln, NE | Certificate | 6.3 | $19,146 | $36,734 | 38% |
| 44 | Lincoln Technical Institute-New BritainNew Britain, CT | Certificate | 6.4 | $12,934 | $24,128 | 65% |
| 45 | Lincoln College of Technology-ColumbiaColumbia, MD | Certificate | 6.4 | $12,934 | $24,128 | 68% |
| 46 | Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeKalamazoo, MI | Associate | 6.4 | $14,382 | $26,843 | 28% |
| 47 | Northwestern Michigan CollegeTraverse City, MI | Associate | 6.4 | $14,199 | $26,586 | 25% |
| 48 | Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI | Associate | 6.4 | $14,745 | $27,514 | 55% |
| 49 | Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN | Certificate | 6.4 | $11,600 | $21,827 | 60% |
| 50 | Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-AustinAustin, TX | Certificate | 6.4 | $13,300 | $24,873 | 70% |
| 51 | Johnson & Wales University-CharlotteCharlotte, NC | Associate | 6.4 | $14,745 | $27,514 | 49% |
| 52 | Lincoln Technical Institute-SheltonShelton, CT | Certificate | 6.4 | $12,934 | $24,128 | 65% |
| 53 | Johnson & Wales University-OnlineProvidence, RI | Associate | 6.4 | $14,745 | $27,514 | n/a |
| 54 | Saint Paul CollegeSaint Paul, MN | Certificate | 6.5 | $17,500 | $32,478 | 40% |
| 55 | Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI | Associate | 6.9 | $15,750 | $27,248 | 18% |
| 56 | Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderBoulder, CO | Associate | 6.9 | $17,303 | $30,224 | 48% |
| 57 | Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL | Associate | 7.0 | $16,375 | $28,252 | 21% |
| 58 | Culinary Institute IncHouston, TX | Certificate | 7.0 | $12,458 | $21,239 | 100% |
| 59 | Dorsey CollegeMadison Heights, MI | Certificate | 7.3 | $13,000 | $21,367 | 54% |
| 60 | Dorsey College-RosevilleRoseville, MI | Certificate | 7.3 | $13,000 | $21,367 | 35% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 1205. 88 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.
Read It Carefully
What these figures do not tell you
It is a ratio, not a repayment plan
Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.
Local wages move the numbers
The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.
Only federal loan debt is counted
Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.
One year out is an early snapshot
Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.
Go Deeper
The wider picture
Related Reading
Before you choose a program
For School Operators
If you run one of these programs
By State
The same ranking, one state at a time
Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, so comparing programs inside a single state is more informative than comparing across the country. These 6 states have at least three ranked institutions each, covering 32 of the 88 in the national table.
Use This Data
Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?
We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.
Book Your Free Enrollment AuditBy application only — reserved for trade and vocational school operators enrolling 50+ students a year.