2027 Best Culinary Arts Schools in Virginia
Culinary Arts is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for culinary arts students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Culinary Arts in Virginia
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the culinary arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Culinary Arts
No school ranked higher than Ecpi University this year for culinary arts. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Ecpi University is a large private for-profit university. About 28% of students finish within six years. About 157 culinary arts degrees were awarded at Ecpi University in the most recent year. Students who receive their culinary arts degree from Ecpi University earn around $21,480 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $13,744 to complete this degree.
Read more about the culinary arts program at Ecpi University
A rank of #2 makes Rappahannock Community College one of the top schools for culinary arts. Located in the rural area of Glenns, Rappahannock Community College is a mid-sized public university. About 41 culinary arts degrees were awarded at Rappahannock Community College in the most recent year. Culinary Arts graduates of Rappahannock Community College earn a median of $43,398 early in their careers. Rappahannock Community College graduates carry a median of $8,997 in student loans.
Read more about the culinary arts program at Rappahannock Community College
Tidewater Community College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Tidewater Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Norfolk. There were roughly 36 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Tidewater Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the culinary arts program make about $23,653 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $19,671 to complete this degree.
Get the full culinary arts details for Tidewater Community College
Students looking for a strong culinary arts program will find one at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College, which ranked #4. This large public university is located in the suburb of Richmond. J Sargeant Reynolds Community College awarded about 54 culinary arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from J Sargeant Reynolds Community College generally make around $36,965. J Sargeant Reynolds Community College graduates carry a median of $16,131 in student loans.
See the full culinary arts program report for J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Students looking for a strong culinary arts program will find one at Central Virginia Community College, which ranked #5. Central Virginia Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Lynchburg. There were roughly 19 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Central Virginia Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Central Virginia Community College generally make around $32,309. Central Virginia Community College graduates carry a median of $10,384 in student loans.
More information about a degree in culinary arts from Central Virginia Community College
Virginia Western Community College landed the #6 spot for culinary arts this year. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Roanoke. There were roughly 36 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Western Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients from Virginia Western Community College generally make around $36,245. Students borrow a median of $13,715 to complete this degree.
Get the full culinary arts details for Virginia Western Community College
More Culinary Arts Rankings
View All Culinary Arts Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 6 schools evaluated.
- 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.
