[General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/cooking-and-related-culinary-arts-general/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for general cooking & related culinary arts students.
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Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general cooking & related culinary arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is Kapiolani Community College, our #1 best value for general cooking & related culinary arts in Hawaii. Set in the city of Honolulu, Kapiolani Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $3,284 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $8,420. General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $10,087 in student loans. Soon after graduation, general cooking & related culinary arts degree recipients from Kapiolani Community College generally make around $26,882. That is a strong return on a $10,087 median debt.
Leeward Community College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value general cooking & related culinary arts schools. Set in the suburb of Pearl City, Leeward Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,214, while out-of-state students pay about $8,350. General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $10,776 in student loans. General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts graduates of Leeward Community College earn a median of $21,784 early in their careers. Set against $10,776 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Hawaii Maui College earned it the #3 place for general cooking & related culinary arts. Located in the city of Kahului, University Of Hawaii Maui College is a mid-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $3,284 in tuition and fees, compared with $8,420 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $11,824 to complete the general cooking & related culinary arts program here. Soon after graduation, general cooking & related culinary arts degree recipients from University Of Hawaii Maui College generally make around $24,669. Set against $11,824 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
