by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Culinary Institute of America: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at The Culinary Institute of America, 61% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $16,914 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,228. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Looking at all undergraduates at The Culinary Institute of America, freshmen included, 53% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,990 annually. It comes to 12.2% above the $6,228 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,980 across two years and $27,960 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,990 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,591 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,121,194 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at The Culinary Institute of America carry a median federal debt of $12,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at The Culinary Institute of America.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at The Culinary Institute of America.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at The Culinary Institute of America.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 582 | $30,589 |
| Completed (graduates) | 312 | $49,835 |
| Did not complete | 270 | $21,087 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $592.59/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at The Culinary Institute of America.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 556 | $31,133 |
| No Stafford loan | 26 | $9,743 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 551 | $31,135 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 31 | $11,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for The Culinary Institute of America.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for The Culinary Institute of America appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1334 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,500 |
| Middle income | $11,798 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,523 |
| Independent students | $14,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at The Culinary Institute of America.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Did You Know?
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.