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Culinary Institute of America: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

25 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
91% Acceptance Rate

Culinary Institute of America is a private not-for-profit institution in Hyde Park, New York enrolling 3,011 undergraduates. It accepts 91% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 63%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #608 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 12%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Culinary Institute of America Ranked?

Culinary Institute of America ranks #608 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 12%.

#608 Best Colleges in Nation
#68 Best Colleges in NY
Culinary Institute of America ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

Culinary Institute of America was awarded 25 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio as #608 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.

The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio also holds the #68 spot on the Best Colleges in New York ranking.

See all of the rankings for Culinary Institute of America.

Is It Hard to Get Into Culinary Institute of America?

91% Acceptance Rate
94% Of Accepted Are Women
10% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Culinary Institute of America has an acceptance rate of 91%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio.

Average Test Scores

About 10% of students accepted to The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 478 and 600. Math scores were between 450 and 583.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Culinary Institute of America  ( 478 to 600 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Culinary Institute of America  ( 450 to 583 )
200
800

The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio received ACT scores from 5% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 17 and 23.

ACT Composite Scores for Culinary Institute of America  ( 17 to 23 )
1
36

Learn more about Culinary Institute of America admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Culinary Institute of America?

18 to 1 Student to Faculty
100% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Culinary Institute of America is about average at 18 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at Culinary Institute of America is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  100 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Culinary Institute of America?

70% Freshmen Retention
63% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Culinary Institute of America is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  70 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio for first-time, full-time students is 63%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  63 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Culinary Institute of America.

How Diverse Is Culinary Institute of America?

3,011 Undergraduate Students
41.0% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
49.2% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 3,011 undergraduates at The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Culinary Institute of America.

How Much Does Culinary Institute of America Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
53% Take Out Loans
$27,960 Total Student Loans

The average net price of The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$29,690 $29,527 $34,603 $38,087 $41,789

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio, approximately 53% of students took out student loans averaging $6,990 a year. That adds up to $27,960 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 3.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Culinary Institute of America.

How Much Do Culinary Institute of America Graduates Earn?

$47,475 Avg Salary of Grads
Average Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Culinary Institute of America with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $47,475 in their early years. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Culinary Institute of America Graduates

See which majors at Culinary Institute of America make the most money.

Where Is Culinary Institute of America Located?

New York State
3,011 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

Culinary Institute of America is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hyde Park, New York. Hyde Park is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Culinary Institute of America.

Location of Culinary Institute of America

Contact information for Culinary Institute of America are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, NY 12538-1499
Phone: 8454529600
Website: www.ciachef.edu

What Majors Does Culinary Institute of America Offer?

4 Majors With Completions
2,224 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 4 majors graduated from Culinary Institute of America. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 1,112 NA
Culinary Arts 768 $34,728
Hospitality Management 284 $39,886
Other Interdisciplinary Studies 49 $22,210
Sustainability Science 11 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Culinary Institute of America along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio Offer Online Classes?

32% Take At Least One Class Online
2% Take All Classes Online

974 students took at least one online class at Culinary Institute of America.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at Culinary Institute of America.

Curious how schools stack up against The Culinary Institute of America, CIA, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio? Match them up using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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