2026 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Massachusetts

[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong culinary arts education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools to find the best return on investment for culinary arts students.
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2026 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Massachusetts
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in culinary arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools
For return on investment in culinary arts, no school beat Bunker Hill Community College this year. Set in the city of Boston, Bunker Hill Community College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,168, with out-of-state students paying around $11,112. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $11,893. Culinary Arts graduates of Bunker Hill Community College earn a median of $51,782 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $11,893 median debt.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Holyoke Community College earned it the #2 place for culinary arts. Set in the rural area of Holyoke, Holyoke Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $5,988 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,932 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $9,763. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Holyoke Community College generally make around $43,423. That is a strong return on a $9,763 median debt.
A rank of #3 makes Massasoit Community College one of the best values for culinary arts. Set in the suburb of Brockton, Massasoit Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,376, while out-of-state students pay about $10,320. Students borrow a median of $10,894 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Massasoit Community College earn a median of $42,938 early in their careers. Set against $10,894 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Southeastern Technical Institute came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value culinary arts schools. Set in the suburb of South Easton, Southeastern Technical Institute is a small public institution. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $10,000. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Southeastern Technical Institute generally make around $49,476. Southeastern Technical Institute admits about 71% of applicants.
Boston University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Boston, Boston University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,102. Students borrow a median of $25,232 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Boston University earn a median of $63,598 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,232 median debt. Roughly 11% of applicants are accepted.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
View All Culinary Arts Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 10 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.