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2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

12 Ranked Colleges
1,160 Degrees Awarded
$6,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 21,906 people earned their degree in culinary arts, making the major the 80th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, culinary arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,822 and had an average of $19,004 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,160 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,336 and $20,786 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in culinary arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great culinary arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the culinary arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The culinary arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Moraine Valley Community College

Palos Hills, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moraine Valley Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Palos Hills, Illinois, and it awarded 31 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

MVCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Moraine Valley Community College is $1,513 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Moraine Valley Community College

#2

Elgin Community College

Elgin, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Elgin Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Elgin Community College is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ECC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend ECC is $3,717 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Elgin Community College

#3

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Joliet Junior College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 66 degrees to qualified ’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, Joliet Junior College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Joliet Junior College is $4,134 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Joliet Junior College

#4

College of Lake County

Grayslake, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of Lake County. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Grayslake, Illinois, and it awarded 107 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, College of Lake County has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend College of Lake County is $4,136 for Illinois Culinary Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at College of Lake County

#5

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern Illinois College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Belleville, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, SWIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $6,762 for Illinois Culinary Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southwestern Illinois College.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Southwestern Illinois College

#11 in overall quality

City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 96 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, Kennedy-King College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $5,764 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Kennedy-King College

#7

Richland Community College

Decatur, Illinois

Richland Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Richland Community College is a small public school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 58 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Richland Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Richland Community College is $3,900 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Richland Community College Culinary Arts Report

#8

Triton College

River Grove, Illinois

Triton College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Grove, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Triton College, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Triton College is $4,579 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Triton College

#9

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, Illinois

McHenry County College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Crystal Lake, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s culinary arts degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

MCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend McHenry County College is $6,143 for Illinois Culinary Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full McHenry County College Culinary Arts Report

#10

Rend Lake College

Ina, Illinois

Rend Lake College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rend Lake College is a public institution located in Ina, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Rend Lake College also took the #12 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rend Lake College is $5,283 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Culinary Arts at Rend Lake College

#11

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified ’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.

NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NLU is $14,403 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Culinary Arts at NLU

#12

Saint Augustine College

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Augustine College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, St. Augustine College has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Augustine College is $12,491 for illinois culinary arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Culinary Arts at St. Augustine College

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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