by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Culinary Arts is the 97th most popular major in the country with 22,075 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , culinary arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $24,478 and had an average of $14,830 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major” ranking, we looked at 445 colleges that offer a degree in culinary arts. That schools that top this list have a program in culinary arts in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Louisiana Culinary Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Louisiana Culinary Institute is a small school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that handed out 50 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at Louisiana Culinary Institute
Out of the 445 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College landed the #2 spot on the list. The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College is a small school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 108 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College
Out of the 445 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin landed the #3 spot on the list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s culinary arts degrees to 254 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Culinary Institute of America. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hyde Park, New York. It awarded 661 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America
Out of the 445 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Culinary Institute Inc landed the #5 spot on the list. Culinary Institute LeNotre is located in Houston, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 108 ’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 218 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte Culinary Arts Report
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking, coming in at #7. Jna Institute of Culinary Arts is a small school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 9 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Jna Institute of Culinary Arts
Helms College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Helms College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Macon, Georgia. It awarded 100 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, The Art Institute of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 20 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Houston
The Art Institute of San Antonio came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. This small school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 19 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of San Antonio
Johnson & Wales University - Providence did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking, coming in at #11. Johnson & Wales University - Providence is a small school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 536 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University - Providence
The Art Institute of Atlanta came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. This small school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 37 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The Art Institute of Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking, coming in at #13. The Art Institute of Dallas is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 ’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas
With a ranking of #14, The Art Institute of Virginia Beach did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s culinary arts degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
Read more about Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Virginia Beach
With a ranking of #15, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s culinary arts degrees to 3,638 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Commonwealth Technical Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. This small school is located in Paul Smiths, New York, and it awarded 13 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The Art Institute of Austin came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. The Art Institute of Austin is a private for-profit institution located in Bastrop, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
ICPR Junior College - Arecibo did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, this small private for-profit school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified ’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at ICPR Junior College - Arecibo
City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 95 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
Sullivan University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. Sullivan University is located in Louisville, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 70 ’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
AI Miami International University of Art and Design ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. AI Miami International University of Art and Design is located in Miami, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 ’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Culinary Arts at International Fine Arts College
SUNY Schenectady County Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. This small school is located in Schenectady, New York, and it awarded 28 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.
Full SUNY Schenectady County Community College Culinary Arts Report
H Councill Trenholm State Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Located in Montgomery, Alabama, this small public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Adirondack Community College | Queensbury, NY |
| 52 | Schoolcraft College | Livonia, MI |
| 53 | Lakes Region Community College | Laconia, NH |
| 54 | University of Hawaii Maui College | Kahului, HI |
| 55 | Hawaii Community College | Hilo, HI |
| 56 | Scottsdale Community College | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 57 | Livingstone College | Salisbury, NC |
| 58 | Huertas College | Caguas, PR |
| 59 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL |
| 60 | SUNY Delhi | Delhi, NY |
| 61 | J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College | Huntsville, AL |
| 62 | Pierpont Community and Technical College | Fairmont, WV |
| 63 | Baker College | Owosso, MI |
| 64 | Lawson State Community College - Birmingham Campus | Birmingham, AL |
| 65 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Barranquitas | Barranquitas, PR |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | York County Community College | Wells, ME |
| 67 | Saint Augustine College | Chicago, IL |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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