How much do Culinary Arts and Related Services undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates from Arizona Culinary Institute earn?

The reported median is $44,800 four years after completion.

How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

The reported median federal debt among borrowers is $9,500.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 47% above the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Culinary Arts and Related Services undergraduate certificate or diploma at Arizona Culinary Institute

Scottsdale, AZ · Private for-profit

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are notably above similar programs.

$14,228 above the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: 21.2% of annual earnings
Highest price with a positive payoff: Not reached
Modeled 10-year payoff: Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data: One detailed offering price

OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

+18%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$29,223 → $34,396

58Earn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

98Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

125Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median

138Borrowers representedCohort behind the debt median

$17,914Awarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential

133Recent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential

NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

143Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

85Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

76Pell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

70Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

9.6%Federal-aid non-completion rate2022–23 program cohort · 15 non-completers

139Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion

Preliminary federal earnings benchmarkNot availableInformational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$44,800A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Additional borrowing reported for this category: 15 Parent PLUS borrowers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$38,815

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWING$9,500

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$44,800

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENT$101/mo

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

REPORTED PROGRAM PRICES

One detailed price within this field

These named six-digit offerings sit inside the broader four-digit federal field shown on this page. Prices include tuition, required fees, books and supplies reported for academic year 2024-25.

Program code 12.0503

Culinary Arts/Chef Training

Full program: $29,500
Per year: $29,500

These charges apply only to the named offerings listed. The earnings figure may combine several related offerings in the broader field and degree level, so DegreeVerdict does not automatically use these prices in ROI.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$38,815Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$43,363Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATENot availableInstitution context

COMPLETION RATE90.7%Institution-wide completion rate

WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$29,223Year 1

$44,800Year 4

$34,396Year 5

CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

2.7% of gross monthly earnings

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$3,733

Estimated loan payment$101

138borrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$44,800 vs. $30,572

$14,228 above the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median

WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.

Chefs and Head Cooks$59,890 median wageAZ estimate · 4,080 jobs · 35-1011$38,480–$74,990 middle 50% of AZ wages+6.6% projected U.S. growth · 25,200 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentCooks, All Other$41,740 median wageAZ estimate · 550 jobs · 35-2019$38,790–$47,130 middle 50% of AZ wages+5.2% projected U.S. growth · 2,800 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialFirst-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$40,550 median wageAZ estimate · 21,450 jobs · 35-1012$36,890–$52,650 middle 50% of AZ wages+5.4% projected U.S. growth · 171,500 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentFood Service Managers$70,180 median wageAZ estimate · 3,400 jobs · 11-9051$60,500–$85,770 middle 50% of AZ wages+5.8% projected U.S. growth · 38,800 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentCooks, Private Household$47,940 median wageU.S. estimate · 1,100 jobs · 35-2013+5.1% projected U.S. growth · 5,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Postsecondary nondegree awardCooks, Institution and Cafeteria$39,660 median wageAZ estimate · 7,170 jobs · 35-2012$36,730–$45,950 middle 50% of AZ wages+2.8% projected U.S. growth · 62,900 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialCooks, Restaurant$38,670 median wageAZ estimate · 30,870 jobs · 35-2014$36,200–$44,870 middle 50% of AZ wages+12.1% projected U.S. growth · 218,600 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialFood Scientists and Technologists$90,450 median wageAZ estimate · 13,060 jobs · 19-1012$80,950–$91,240 middle 50% of AZ wages+6.2% projected U.S. growth · 1,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$76,700 median wageAZ estimate · 2,000 jobs · 25-1199$60,350–$85,800 middle 50% of AZ wages+2.0% projected U.S. growth · 12,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeSlaughterers and Meat Packers$49,020 median wageAZ estimate · 440 jobs · 51-3023$48,950–$58,870 middle 50% of AZ wages+2.0% projected U.S. growth · 7,700 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialButchers and Meat Cutters$45,780 median wageAZ estimate · 2,130 jobs · 51-3021$37,770–$50,510 middle 50% of AZ wages+2.4% projected U.S. growth · 15,100 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialBartenders$45,070 median wageAZ estimate · 14,840 jobs · 35-3011$33,520–$73,320 middle 50% of AZ wages+5.0% projected U.S. growth · 121,200 openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credential

Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale Community College

$7,391 higher earnings · $25,479 lower annual net price

Earnings: $52,191
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $13,336

View outcomes →

Miami, FL

Miami Dade College

$5,544 higher earnings · $33,352 lower annual net price

Earnings: $50,344
Debt: $10,882
Annual net price: $5,463

View outcomes →

Saint Paul, MN

Saint Paul College

$2,376 higher earnings · $27,320 lower annual net price

Earnings: $47,176
Debt: $17,500
Annual net price: $11,495

View outcomes →

New York, NY

Institute of Culinary Education

$2,093 higher earnings · $2,723 less debt

Earnings: $46,893
Debt: $6,777
Annual net price: Not available

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

125 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

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