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Best Schools for Culinary Arts in New Jersey
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the culinary arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Culinary Arts
Brookdale Community College tops our 2026 ranking of the best culinary arts schools. Located in the suburb of Lincroft, Brookdale Community College is a large public university. There were roughly 22 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Brookdale Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Brookdale Community College generally make around $37,374. Students borrow a median of $12,651 to complete this degree.
Read more about the culinary arts program at Brookdale Community College
Students looking for a strong culinary arts program will find one at Atlantic Cape Community College, which ranked #2. Located in the rural area of Mays Landing, Atlantic Cape Community College is a moderately-sized public university. About 44 culinary arts degrees were awarded at Atlantic Cape Community College in the most recent year. Graduates of the culinary arts program make about $31,639 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $11,000.
More information about a degree in culinary arts from Atlantic Cape Community College
Students looking for a strong culinary arts program will find one at Middlesex County College, which ranked #3. This large public university is located in the suburb of Edison. There were roughly 16 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Middlesex County College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the culinary arts program make about $37,975 in their early career. Middlesex County College graduates carry a median of $9,514 in student loans.
See the full culinary arts program report for Middlesex County College
Hudson County Community College came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best culinary arts schools. Hudson County Community College is a large public school located in the city of Jersey City. Hudson County Community College awarded about 104 culinary arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their culinary arts degree from Hudson County Community College earn around $26,170 in the first couple years of their career. Hudson County Community College graduates carry a median of $12,900 in student loans.
See the full culinary arts program report for Hudson County Community College
Burlington County College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best culinary arts schools. This large public university is located in the suburb of Mount Laurel. There were roughly 15 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Burlington County College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their culinary arts degree from Burlington County College earn around $52,240 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $12,488 to complete this degree.
Get the full culinary arts details for Burlington County College
Passaic County Community College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best culinary arts schools. Passaic County Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Paterson. There were roughly 23 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Passaic County Community College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their culinary arts degree from Passaic County Community College earn around $28,957 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $9,581 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in culinary arts from Passaic County Community College
Ocean County Vocational Technical School placed #7 among the best culinary arts schools. Ocean County Vocational Technical School is a small public school located in the suburb of Toms River. About 14 culinary arts degrees were awarded at Ocean County Vocational Technical School in the most recent year. Culinary Arts graduates of Ocean County Vocational Technical School earn a median of $16,566 early in their careers.
More information about a degree in culinary arts from Ocean County Vocational Technical School
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 17 schools evaluated.
- 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.
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