2027 Best Value Institutional Food Workers Schools
[Institutional Food Workers](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/institutional-food-workers/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 13 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value institutional food workers schools.
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Finding the Best Value Institutional Food Workers School for You
The right institutional food workers school can pay off for years to come. To help, we created our Best Value Institutional Food Workers Schools ranking. We score each school on the balance of tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the best value.
Read more about our methodology
One Size Does Not Fit All
We offer a number of rankings, including this Best Value Institutional Food Workers Schools list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
See how we build our rankings
2027 Best Value Institutional Food Workers Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the institutional food workers degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Institutional Food Workers Schools
For return on investment in institutional food workers, no school beat Trident Technical College this year. Set in the city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,546, compared with $8,620 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,000 to complete the institutional food workers program here. Soon after graduation, institutional food workers degree recipients from Trident Technical College generally make around $50,166. That is a strong return on a $15,000 median debt.
A rank of #2 makes Columbus Technical College one of the best values for institutional food workers. Columbus Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Columbus. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,052, compared with $7,262 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for institutional food workers graduates is $15,845. Soon after graduation, institutional food workers degree recipients from Columbus Technical College generally make around $37,936. Set against $15,845 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #3 makes Horry Georgetown Technical College one of the best values for institutional food workers. Set in the city of Conway, Horry Georgetown Technical College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,518, compared with $10,978 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete the institutional food workers program here. Institutional Food Workers graduates of Horry Georgetown Technical College earn a median of $24,466 early in their careers. Set against $19,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in institutional food workers will find it at Central Arizona College, which ranked #4. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Central Arizona College is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $2,250 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $4,500. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $11,635 in student loans. Early-career institutional food workers graduates make about $48,826. Set against $11,635 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Atlantic Cape Community College earned it the #5 place for institutional food workers. Located in the rural area of Mays Landing, Atlantic Cape Community College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,594, with out-of-state students paying around $8,350. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $11,000 in student loans. Institutional Food Workers graduates of Atlantic Cape Community College earn a median of $37,141 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $11,000 median debt.
Pierpont Community And Technical College came in at #6 for value in institutional food workers this year. Pierpont Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Fairmont. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,762, with out-of-state students paying around $13,660. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $16,268 in student loans. Institutional Food Workers graduates of Pierpont Community And Technical College earn a median of $26,399 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,268 median debt.
Salt Lake Community College came in at #7 for value in institutional food workers this year. Located in the suburb of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Community College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,426, with out-of-state students paying around $14,244. Typical student debt for institutional food workers graduates is $10,855. Early-career institutional food workers graduates make about $31,788. Set against $10,855 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Southeast Community College Area came in at #8 for value in institutional food workers this year. Set in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College Area is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,444, with out-of-state students paying around $4,032. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $19,146 in student loans. Soon after graduation, institutional food workers degree recipients from Southeast Community College Area generally make around $31,590. That is a strong return on a $19,146 median debt.
Greenville Technical College came in at #9 for value in institutional food workers this year. Greenville Technical College is a large public school located in the city of Greenville. In-state tuition and fees average $5,495, compared with $10,775 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,434 to complete the institutional food workers program here. Institutional Food Workers graduates of Greenville Technical College earn a median of $26,268 early in their careers. Set against $19,434 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Carteret Community College ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best value institutional food workers schools. Set in the town of Morehead City, Carteret Community College is a mid-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,310, with out-of-state students paying around $8,222. Students borrow a median of $5,566 to complete the institutional food workers program here. Soon after graduation, institutional food workers degree recipients from Carteret Community College generally make around $48,953. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
San Jacinto Community College came in at #11 for value in institutional food workers this year. San Jacinto Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Pasadena. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,490, compared with $6,690 for out-of-state students. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $11,376 in student loans. Early-career institutional food workers graduates make about $38,107. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Lamar Institute Of Technology earned the #12 position for value in institutional food workers this year. Set in the city of Beaumont, Lamar Institute Of Technology is a moderately-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,844, compared with $12,924 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for institutional food workers graduates is $14,278. Early-career institutional food workers graduates make about $50,068. Set against $14,278 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Ecpi University ranked #13 on our 2027 list of the best value institutional food workers schools. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Ecpi University is a large private for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $18,484. Institutional Food Workers graduates carry a median of $13,744 in student loans. Soon after graduation, institutional food workers degree recipients from Ecpi University generally make around $21,480. Set against $13,744 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 74%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 13 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 13 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.
