2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Nebraska
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value culinary arts schools.
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2027 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in Nebraska
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 Metropolitan Community College Area, our #1 best value for culinary arts in Nebraska. Located in the city of Omaha, Metropolitan Community College Area is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $3,375 in tuition and fees, compared with $4,950 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $12,799 to complete the culinary arts program here. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Metropolitan Community College Area generally make around $45,583. That is a strong return on a $12,799 median debt.
Central Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,360, with out-of-state students paying around $4,800. Students borrow a median of $10,277 to complete the culinary arts program here. Culinary Arts graduates of Central Community College earn a median of $43,218 early in their careers. Set against $10,277 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in culinary arts will find it at Southeast Community College Area, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College Area is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,444, compared with $4,032 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for culinary arts graduates is $19,146. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Southeast Community College Area generally make around $31,590. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
More Culinary Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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.
