2026 Best Value Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools in Kentucky
[Culinary Arts/Chef Training](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/culinary-arts-chef-training/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 9 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for culinary arts/chef training students.
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2026 Best Value Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools in Kentucky
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in culinary arts/chef training, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools
Somerset Community College tops our 2026 list of the best value culinary arts/chef training schools in Kentucky. Located in the town of Somerset, Somerset Community College is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,728, with out-of-state students paying around $6,432. Students borrow a median of $13,722 to complete the culinary arts/chef training program here. Soon after graduation, culinary arts/chef training degree recipients from Somerset Community College generally make around $35,340. Set against $13,722 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts/chef training will find it at Ashland Community And Technical College, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Ashland, Ashland Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,728, with out-of-state students paying around $6,432. Students borrow a median of $13,485 to complete the culinary arts/chef training program here. Soon after graduation, culinary arts/chef training degree recipients from Ashland Community And Technical College generally make around $37,826. That is a strong return on a $13,485 median debt.
West Kentucky Community And Technical College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts/chef training, landing the #3 spot this year. West Kentucky Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Paducah. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,728, while out-of-state students pay about $6,432. Typical student debt for culinary arts/chef training graduates is $10,778. Culinary Arts/chef Training graduates of West Kentucky Community And Technical College earn a median of $31,903 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #4 makes Maysville Community And Technical College one of the best values for culinary arts/chef training. Maysville Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Maysville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,728, with out-of-state students paying around $6,432. Typical student debt for culinary arts/chef training graduates is $13,031. Culinary Arts/chef Training graduates of Maysville Community And Technical College earn a median of $37,769 early in their careers. Set against $13,031 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Jefferson Community And Technical College earned it the #5 place for culinary arts/chef training. Located in the city of Louisville, Jefferson Community And Technical College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,808, compared with $6,512 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $13,917 to complete the culinary arts/chef training program here. Early-career culinary arts/chef training graduates make about $44,346. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Sullivan University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value culinary arts/chef training schools. Set in the city of Louisville, Sullivan University is a mid-sized private for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,480. Typical student debt for culinary arts/chef training graduates is $15,265. Culinary Arts/chef Training graduates of Sullivan University earn a median of $24,292 early in their careers. Set against $15,265 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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
