2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 21,906 people earned their degree in culinary arts, making the major the 80th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, culinary arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,822 and had an average of $19,004 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,671 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,641 and $21,214 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 998 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in culinary arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent culinary arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the culinary arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools
The culinary arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 16 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Austin Community College District also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $3,134 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the #2 spot on the list. El Centro College is a large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 36 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
El Centro College also took the #2 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend El Centro College is $3,454 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grayson College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Grayson College is a small school located in Denison, Texas that handed out 6 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Grayson College also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Grayson College is $6,639 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central New Mexico Community College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Central New Mexico Community College is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CNM also took the #13 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $2,604 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CNM.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Houston Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Houston Community College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Houston Community College is $4,562 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is a public institution located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU Institute of Technology, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OSU Institute of Technology is $4,771 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at OSU Institute of Technology
El Paso Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. El Paso Community College is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 40 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at El Paso Community College, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,978 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend El Paso Community College.
Lee College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Baytown, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
Lee College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,560 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lee College.
With a ranking of #9, Collin County Community College District did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in McKinney, Texas, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
Collin County Community College District did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Collin County Community College District is $4,565 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Collin County Community College District
St Philip’s College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St Philip’s College is a fairly large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 38 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
St Philip’s College also took the #5 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St Philip’s College is $5,761 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #11, South Plains College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. South Plains College is located in Levelland, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Plains College, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Plains College is $6,211 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Pima Community College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
Pima County Community College District did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Pima County Community College District is $2,574 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Culinary Arts at Pima County Community College District
Del Mar College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and it awarded 8 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
DMC also took the #16 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Del Mar College is $4,638 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Tarrant County College District came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarrant County College, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,225 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tarrant County College District.
Texas State Technical College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Waco, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
TSTC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,535 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State Technical College.
San Jacinto Community College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pasadena, Texas, this large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
San Jacinto College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jacinto College is $8,232 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
New Mexico State University - Dona Ana landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New Mexico State University - Dona Ana is a medium-sized school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 11 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
NMSU Dona Ana also took the #21 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Dona Ana is $4,942 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Odessa College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Odessa College is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Odessa College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Odessa College is $5,380 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #19, Texarkana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Texarkana, Texas, this small public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texarkana College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,854 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texarkana College.
Scottsdale Community College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Scottsdale Community College is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
Scottsdale Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Scottsdale Community College is $8,963 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Scottsdale Community College
With a ranking of #21, Northeast Texas Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and it awarded 6 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, NTCC has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NTCC is $7,484 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Mohave Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kingman, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
MCC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mohave Community College is $8,502 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Estrella Mountain Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Estrella Mountain Community College is a public institution located in Avondale, Arizona. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Estrella Mountain Community College has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,973 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Estrella Mountain Community College.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Estrella Mountain Community College
The Art Institute of Houston came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ai Houston is a small private for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 44 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ai Houston has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The Art Institute of Houston is $21,248 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Escoffier - Austin is a small school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 233 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Escoffier - Austin, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Escoffier - Austin is $14,004 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
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General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts/Chef Training (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Other Culinary Arts & Related Services (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students in the Southwest Region
Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region
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Most Popular Associate Degree Online Culinary Arts Schools
Culinary Arts students in the Southwest Region
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students with family income less than $30k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students with family income $48-$75k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students with family income exceeding $110k in the Southwest Region
Highest Paid Associate Degree Culinary Arts Graduates in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students in the Southwest Region
Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
Culinary Arts students getting aid in the Southwest Region
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students with family income $30-$48k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region
Culinary Arts students with family income $75-$110k in the Southwest Region
Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.
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