2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Missouri
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for culinary arts students.
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2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Missouri
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in culinary arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools
Leading the list is St Charles Community College, our #1 best value for culinary arts in Missouri. Located in the suburb of Cottleville, St Charles Community College is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $3,810, with out-of-state students paying around $7,620. Students borrow a median of $12,606 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of St Charles Community College earn a median of $47,228 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $12,606 median debt.
Ozarks Technical Community College came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value culinary arts schools. Ozarks Technical Community College is a large public school located in the city of Springfield. Students from in state pay about $4,256 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $7,040. Culinary Arts graduates carry a median of $10,501 in student loans. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Ozarks Technical Community College generally make around $25,879. That is a strong return on a $10,501 median debt.
A rank of #3 makes Saint Louis Community College one of the best values for culinary arts. Set in the suburb of Bridgeton, Saint Louis Community College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $3,660 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $6,990. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $11,424. Culinary Arts graduates of Saint Louis Community College earn a median of $26,318 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $11,424 median debt.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
