2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Georgia
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools to find the best return on investment for culinary arts students.
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2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Georgia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the culinary arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools
Leading the list is South Georgia Technical College, our #1 best value for culinary arts in Georgia. South Georgia Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Americus. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,992, compared with $7,202 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $10,423. Culinary Arts graduates of South Georgia Technical College earn a median of $40,497 early in their careers. Set against $10,423 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Valdosta. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,480, compared with $6,048 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $10,864. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $40,452. Set against $10,864 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Atlanta Technical College, which ranked #3. Atlanta Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Atlanta. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,382, while out-of-state students pay about $5,950. Students borrow a median of $17,655 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Atlanta Technical College earn a median of $35,441 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $17,655 median debt.
A rank of #4 makes West Georgia Technical College one of the best values for culinary arts. West Georgia Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Waco. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,410, while out-of-state students pay about $5,978. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $12,651. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $39,922. That is a strong return on a $12,651 median debt.
A rank of #5 makes Columbus Technical College one of the best values for culinary arts. Columbus Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Columbus. In-state tuition and fees average $4,052, while out-of-state students pay about $7,262. Students borrow a median of $15,845 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Columbus Technical College earn a median of $37,936 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
North Georgia Technical College landed the #6 spot for culinary arts value this year. North Georgia Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Clarkesville. Students from in state pay about $3,330 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $5,898. Students borrow a median of $12,279 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of North Georgia Technical College earn a median of $17,383 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Southern Crescent Technical College landed the #7 spot for culinary arts value this year. Southern Crescent Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Griffin. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,516, compared with $6,084 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $17,619. Culinary Arts graduates of Southern Crescent Technical College earn a median of $45,062 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Albany Technical College placed #8 among the best values for culinary arts. Located in the city of Albany, Albany Technical College is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,364, compared with $5,932 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $16,321. Culinary Arts graduates of Albany Technical College earn a median of $35,895 early in their careers. Set against $16,321 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College ranked #9 on our 2027 list of the best value culinary arts schools. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,300, with out-of-state students paying around $5,868. Students borrow a median of $8,492 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Georgia Northwestern Technical College earn a median of $41,229 early in their careers. Set against $8,492 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Ogeechee Technical College landed the #10 spot for culinary arts value this year. Set in the town of Statesboro, Ogeechee Technical College is a mid-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,388, while out-of-state students pay about $5,956. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $11,894 in student loans. Culinary Arts graduates of Ogeechee Technical College earn a median of $35,521 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Savannah Technical College came in at #11 for value in culinary arts this year. Savannah Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Savannah. Students from in state pay about $3,330 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $5,898. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $12,843. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Savannah Technical College generally make around $37,386. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Gwinnett Technical College ranked #12 on our 2027 list of the best value culinary arts schools. Set in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett Technical College is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $3,524 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $6,092. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $18,048 in student loans. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $39,288. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Athens Technical College landed the #13 spot for culinary arts value this year. Athens Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Athens. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,390, with out-of-state students paying around $5,958. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $9,500. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Athens Technical College generally make around $41,631. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins landed the #14 spot for culinary arts value this year. Located in the city of Warner Robins, Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,448, with out-of-state students paying around $6,016. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $11,693. Culinary Arts graduates of Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins earn a median of $39,765 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Lanier Technical College came in at #15 for value in culinary arts this year. Set in the city of Gainesville, Lanier Technical College is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,980, compared with $7,190 for out-of-state students. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $12,278 in student loans. Culinary Arts graduates of Lanier Technical College earn a median of $37,118 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $12,278 median debt.
Augusta Technical College came in at #16 for value in culinary arts this year. Set in the city of Augusta, Augusta Technical College is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,282, with out-of-state students paying around $7,492. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $11,400 in student loans. Culinary Arts graduates of Augusta Technical College earn a median of $41,892 early in their careers. Set against $11,400 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
College Of Coastal Georgia landed the #17 spot for culinary arts value this year. College Of Coastal Georgia is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Brunswick. Students from in state pay about $3,616 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $10,936. Students borrow a median of $19,240 to complete the culinary arts program here. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $40,858. That is a strong return on a $19,240 median debt. Roughly 98% of applicants are accepted.
Helms College placed #18 among the best values for culinary arts. Helms College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Augusta. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,056. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $16,938 in student loans. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $22,332.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 18 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 18 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
