Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates from Culinary Institute of America earn $61,944 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $26,750.
Culinary Arts and Related Services at Culinary Institute of America
Hyde Park, New York • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Culinary Arts and Related Services at Culinary Institute of America
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Culinary Institute of America and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Culinary Arts and Related Services at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 74 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Culinary Institute of America, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $61,944 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $47,882 across all institutions offering Culinary Arts and Related Services, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Culinary Institute of America, the mean median-earnings figure is $54,238, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates at Culinary Institute of America is $26,750, which translates to roughly $223 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.43: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Culinary Arts and Related Services at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Culinary Institute of America (this school) | $61,944 | $26,750 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | $52,058 | $23,500 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | $51,716 | - |
| SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | $48,346 | - |
| Drexel University | $48,094 | - |
| Walnut Hill College | $47,308 | $27,000 |
| Nicholls State University | $46,969 | $25,000 |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | $42,652 | $27,000 |
Other Programs at Culinary Institute of America
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts and Related Services (current) | $61,944 | $26,750 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $58,165 | $26,500 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $48,525 | $23,250 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | $48,317 | $12,000 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | - | - |
Other Schools with Culinary Arts and Related Services
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.