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2026 Best Culinary Arts Schools
Looking for the best Culinary Arts programs programs in the United States? This list ranks 627 colleges by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. The rankings below weigh factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
To help you make your decision, Grad Degree analyzed schools to compile this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Culinary Arts Schools in the United States
Explore the leading schools below:
Our analysis found Boston University to be the best Culinary Arts school in the United States. Boston University is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. The six-year graduation rate is 89%. Students from in state pay about $68,102 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $25,232 to complete their Culinary Arts program here. See the full Boston University profile
Out of the 627 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, Academia Serrant Inc landed the #2 spot. Get the full Academia Serrant Inc report
You'll be in good company at Culinary Institute Of America, which ranked #3 this year. See the full Culinary Institute Of America profile
A rank of #4 makes Northeast Texas Community College one of the top choices in the United States. See the full Northeast Texas Community College profile
A rank of #5 makes Sheridan College one of the top choices in the United States. Read more about Sheridan College
Southwestern Illinois College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. See the full Southwestern Illinois College profile
Victor Valley College did well this year, earning the #7 position. Read the full report on Victor Valley College
Christian Culinary Academy came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Christian Culinary Academy
Lee College
Lee College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Read the full report on Lee College
Mt San Antonio College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. See the full Mt San Antonio College profile
Carver Career Center came in at #11 in this year's ranking. More on Carver Career Center
Clearfield County Career And Technology Center did well this year, earning the #12 position. More on Clearfield County Career And Technology Center
South Plains College ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. More on South Plains College
Woodland Community College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Get the full Woodland Community College report
Colorado Mountain College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. See the full Colorado Mountain College profile
Lake Technical College placed #16 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. More on Lake Technical College
North Shore Community College landed the #17 spot in the United States this year. Get the full North Shore Community College report
Ivaem College
Ivaem College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. See the full Ivaem College profile
Madison Area Technical College placed #19 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Read more about Madison Area Technical College
Vincennes University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. Get the full Vincennes University report
Pierpont Community And Technical College did well this year, earning the #21 position. Read more about Pierpont Community And Technical College
Rockland Community College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Read the full report on Rockland Community College
Bakersfield College placed #23 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Read more about Bakersfield College
Moraine Park Technical College placed #24 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Read the full report on Moraine Park Technical College
Highline Community College placed #25 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Read more about Highline Community College
Rest of the Top 50 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the United States
Not far behind, these schools also made the top of the list:
Feather River Community College District landed the #26 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Feather River Community College District
Monterey Peninsula College did well this year, earning the #27 position. Read more about Monterey Peninsula College
Sheridan Technical College placed #28 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Get the full Sheridan Technical College report
Yti Career Institute York placed #29 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. See the full Yti Career Institute York profile
Niagara County Community College placed #30 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. More on Niagara County Community College
Eastern Iowa Community College District ranked #31 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. More on Eastern Iowa Community College District
Blackhawk Technical College came in at #32 in this year's ranking. Read more about Blackhawk Technical College
Finger Lakes Community College ranked #33 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. See the full Finger Lakes Community College profile
North Georgia Technical College did well this year, earning the #34 position. Get the full North Georgia Technical College report
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #35 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. Get the full Santa Rosa Junior College report
Warren County Community College came in at #36 in this year's ranking. Get the full Warren County Community College report
Western Technical College La Cross did well this year, earning the #37 position. Get the full Western Technical College La Cross report
Yavapai College
Yavapai College came in at #38 in this year's ranking. Read more about Yavapai College
Central Arizona College did well this year, earning the #39 position. Read more about Central Arizona College
Central Wyoming College placed #40 among Culinary Arts schools in the United States. Get the full Central Wyoming College report
Michigan Career And Technical Institute came in at #41 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Michigan Career And Technical Institute
Milwaukee Area Technical College did well this year, earning the #42 position. Read the full report on Milwaukee Area Technical College
Western Dakota Technical Institute ranked #43 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. Read more about Western Dakota Technical Institute
Independence Community College ranked #44 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. Read the full report on Independence Community College
William T Mcfatter Technical College ranked #45 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. Get the full William T Mcfatter Technical College report
Allegany College Of Maryland did well this year, earning the #46 position. More on Allegany College Of Maryland
College Of The Redwoods did well this year, earning the #47 position. Get the full College Of The Redwoods report
Saint Augustine College came in at #48 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Saint Augustine College
Suny College Of Technology At Delhi landed the #49 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Suny College Of Technology At Delhi
Ocean County Vocational Technical School ranked #50 on our 2026 list of the best Culinary Arts schools. See the full Ocean County Vocational Technical School profile
Best Culinary Arts Schools by Degree Level
Explore rankings for a specific degree level:
- Best Culinary Arts Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Culinary Arts Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
The ranking above is published by Grad Degree (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 627 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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