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Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$12,486 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,389 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

In 2021-2022, 357 degrees and certificates were awarded to culinary arts students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Virginia to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for culinary arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.


 

2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for culinary arts majors pursuing a associate degree.

Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Culinary Arts

Our analysis found Virginia Western Community College to be the best value school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Roanoke, Virginia Western Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Western Community College are $5,103 per year.

Full Culinary Arts at Virginia Western Community College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tidewater Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tidewater Community College are $5,561 a year. On average, culinary arts graduates from Tidewater Community College take out $19,654 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#4

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend ECPI University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. ECPI University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

ECPI University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,484 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Culinary Arts majors at ECPI University take out an average of $16,992 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $151, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at ECPI University

Out of the 5 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, The Art Institute of Virginia Beach landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Ai Virginia Beach is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Ai Virginia Beach undergraduate students pay an average of $20,794 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Ai Virginia Beach take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,097. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $227.

Full Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Virginia Beach Report

Best Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
South Carolina 215
Georgia 864
Arkansas 283
North Carolina 811
Florida 1,298
West Virginia 59
Louisiana 367
Tennessee 104
Alabama 94
Kentucky 359
Mississippi 320

Culinary Arts is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Culinary Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 10,546
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 5,029
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 3,303
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 1,394
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 786
Other Culinary Arts & Related Services 335
Institutional Food Workers 204
Culinary Science/Culinology 203
Bartending/Bartender 157
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 82
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter 28
Wine Steward/Sommelier 8

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 124,611
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,186
Casino Operations and Services 385
Other Personal & Culinary Services 95

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 5 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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