2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Colorado
[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 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for culinary arts students.
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2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Colorado
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in culinary arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools
Our analysis ranked Pikes Peak Community College the best value for a degree in culinary arts in Colorado. Pikes Peak Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Colorado Springs. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,510, while out-of-state students pay about $17,110. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $16,066 in student loans. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Pikes Peak Community College generally make around $41,037. That is a strong return on a $16,066 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Colorado Mountain College, which ranked #2. Located in the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado Mountain College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,616, with out-of-state students paying around $12,840. Students borrow a median of $12,953 to complete the culinary arts program here. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Colorado Mountain College generally make around $48,694. Set against $12,953 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Pickens Technical College, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Aurora, Pickens Technical College is a small public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,140, while out-of-state students pay about $9,250. Students borrow a median of $10,250 to complete the culinary arts program here. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Pickens Technical College generally make around $35,622. Set against $10,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Emily Griffith Technical College earned it the #4 place for culinary arts. Located in the city of Denver, Emily Griffith Technical College is a moderately-sized public university. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $9,960. Early-career culinary arts graduates make about $22,599. That is a strong return on a $9,960 median debt.
Pueblo Community College came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best value culinary arts schools. Pueblo Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Pueblo. In-state tuition and fees average $5,049, compared with $17,649 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $14,106. Culinary Arts graduates of Pueblo Community College earn a median of $42,377 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder earned the #6 position for value in culinary arts this year. Located in the city of Boulder, Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder is a large private for-profit university. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $14,198. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder generally make around $27,953. That is a strong return on a $14,198 median debt.
Mesa State College came in at #7 for value in culinary arts this year. Set in the city of Grand Junction, Mesa State College is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,927 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $25,124. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $22,310 in student loans. Culinary Arts graduates of Mesa State College earn a median of $43,617 early in their careers. Set against $22,310 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Mesa State College admits about 82% of applicants.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 7 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.
