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2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major

426 Ranked Colleges
7,239 Degrees Awarded
$25,389 Avg Salary
Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2021-2022, 22,075 people earned their degree in culinary arts, making the major the 97th most popular in the United States. 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.

At the associate degree level specifically, there were 7,239 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,431 and $15,731 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major” ranking, we looked at 426 colleges that offer a degree in culinary arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their culinary arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Culinary Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major”.

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.

Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree culinary arts students.

Top 25 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts

1
Louisiana Culinary Institute crest
Louisiana Culinary Institute
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Out of the 426 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Louisiana Culinary Institute landed the #1 spot on the list. Louisiana Culinary Institute is a small school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that handed out 50 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Full Louisiana Culinary Institute Culinary Arts Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major. Escoffier - Austin is a small school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 211 associates’s culinary arts degrees 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%.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Escoffier - Austin

3

Out of the 426 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 70 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Culinary Institute of America. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Culinary Institute of America is a small school located in Hyde Park, New York that handed out 564 associates’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 more about Culinary Arts at Culinary Institute of America

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Culinary Institute Inc. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 68 students in 2021-2022.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Culinary Institute LeNotre

6

Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 217 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte Culinary Arts Report

7
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts crest
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, Jna Institute of Culinary Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 2 students 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

8
Helms College crest
Helms College
Macon, Georgia

Helms College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Located in Macon, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Helms College Culinary Arts Report

9

The Art Institute of Houston landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Ai Houston

10

With a ranking of #10, The Art Institute of Atlanta did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 30 students in 2021-2022.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Ai Atlanta

11

Johnson & Wales University - Providence landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. This small school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 375 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Culinary Arts at JWU Providence

12

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 770 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Escoffier - Boulder

13

The Art Institute of San Antonio landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. The Art Institute of San Antonio is a private for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 associates’s 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 full report on Culinary Arts at Ai San Antonio

14

The Art Institute of Dallas ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. The Art Institute of Dallas is a small school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 11 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas

15
CTI crest
Commonwealth Technical Institute
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Commonwealth Technical Institute did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking, coming in at #15. CTI is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 5 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Commonwealth Technical Institute

16

17

The Art Institute of Austin ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Ai Austin is a private for-profit institution located in Bastrop, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 associates’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%.

Full The Art Institute of Austin Culinary Arts Report

18
ICPR Junior College - Arecibo crest
ICPR Junior College - Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico

With a ranking of #18, ICPR Junior College - Arecibo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. ICPR Junior College - Arecibo is located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at ICPR Junior College - Arecibo

19

City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 22 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Kennedy-King College

20
Sullivan University crest
Sullivan University
Louisville, Kentucky

Sullivan University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this small private for-profit school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2021-2022.

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%.

Full Sullivan University Culinary Arts Report

21

With a ranking of #21, SUNY Schenectady County Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. SUNY Schenectady is located in Schenectady, New York and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.

Full SUNY Schenectady Culinary Arts Report

22

H Councill Trenholm State Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major ranking. H Councill Trenholm State Community College is a small school located in Montgomery, Alabama that handed out 15 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

Read more about Culinary Arts at H Councill Trenholm State Community College

23
ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez crest
ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez is a private for-profit institution located in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Read more about Culinary Arts at ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez

24

With a ranking of #24, Guam Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Guam Community College is a small school located in Mangilao, Guam that handed out 16 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2021-2022.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Guam Community College

25

Niagara County Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major list. Sanborn, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 51 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 full report on Culinary Arts at Niagara County Community College

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Hocking Technical College crest
Hocking College
Nelsonville, OH
42
43
44
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
45
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48
49
Lackawanna College crest
Lackawanna College
Scranton, PA
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Culinary Arts Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Hawaii Maui CollegeKahului, HI
52Hawaii Community CollegeHilo, HI
53Scottsdale Community CollegeScottsdale, AZ
54Livingstone CollegeSalisbury, NC
55Huertas CollegeCaguas, PR
56J. F. Drake State Community and Technical CollegeHuntsville, AL
57Pierpont Community and Technical CollegeFairmont, WV
58Baker CollegeOwosso, MI
59Lawson State Community College - Birmingham CampusBirmingham, AL
60York County Community CollegeWells, ME
61Saint Augustine CollegeChicago, IL
62National Louis UniversityChicago, IL
63Southeast Community College AreaLincoln, NE
64Manchester Community CollegeManchester, CT

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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