2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Iowa, there were 177 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,000 and $13,021 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 72 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,684 and $18,179 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in culinary arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality culinary arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the culinary arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$7,776 Average Net Price

$29,487 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Des Moines Area Community College is a large school located in Ankeny, Iowa that handed out 27 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

DMACC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend DMACC is $7,776 for Iowa Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Des Moines Area Community College

#2

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$5,665 Average Net Price

$30,228 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Western Iowa Tech Community College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Iowa Tech Community College is $5,665 for Iowa Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Western Iowa Tech Community College Culinary Arts Report

#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$8,067 Average Net Price

$28,816 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 14 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Kirkwood Community College also took the #3 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $8,067 for Iowa Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kirkwood Community College.

Full Kirkwood Community College Culinary Arts Report

#4

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$9,341 Average Net Price

$33,993 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Western Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized school located in Council Bluffs, Iowa that handed out 5 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa Western Community College has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $9,341 for iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa Western Community College.

Full Iowa Western Community College Culinary Arts Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $0-$30k)

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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