2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Virginia
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for culinary arts students.
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2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in culinary arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools
Leading the list is Rappahannock Community College, our #1 best value for culinary arts in Virginia. Rappahannock Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Glenns. Students from in state pay about $5,102 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $11,540. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $8,997. Culinary Arts graduates of Rappahannock Community College earn a median of $43,398 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $8,997 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Virginia Western Community College, which ranked #2. Virginia Western Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Roanoke. In-state tuition and fees average $5,400, compared with $11,838 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $13,715 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Virginia Western Community College earn a median of $36,245 early in their careers. Set against $13,715 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of Richmond, J Sargeant Reynolds Community College is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $5,280 in tuition and fees, compared with $11,718 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $16,131. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from J Sargeant Reynolds Community College generally make around $36,965. That is a strong return on a $16,131 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Central Virginia Community College, which ranked #4. Central Virginia Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Lynchburg. In-state tuition and fees average $5,157, while out-of-state students pay about $11,595. Students borrow a median of $10,384 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Central Virginia Community College earn a median of $32,309 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $10,384 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Tidewater Community College, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,858, with out-of-state students paying around $12,296. Students borrow a median of $19,671 to complete the culinary arts program here. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $23,653. That is a strong return on a $19,671 median debt.
Ecpi University landed the #6 spot for culinary arts value this year. Set in the city of Virginia Beach, Ecpi University is a large private for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,484. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $13,744. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $21,480. That is a strong return on a $13,744 median debt. The acceptance rate is 74%.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 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.
