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Culinary school in Pennsylvania

4 culinary programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

3 schools offer these culinary arts programs, and Pennsylvania has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Chefs and head cooks run the daily food preparation in restaurants and other places that serve food. Most start with a high school diploma and kitchen experience; some go through a culinary program at a community college, technical school or culinary school, and others learn in an apprenticeship.1

In Pennsylvania, 1 of the 4 programs takes students without a high school diploma, 2 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 1 asks for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 4 programs here are culinary arts certificate or diploma (3 programs) and culinary arts (associate degree, 1 program).

See the 4 programs

How much does culinary school cost in Pennsylvania?

$3,310 to $18,000

is what the 4 programs with a price cost if you pay yourself

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Working 6 months later
Left out
Pennsylvania's rates sit far below every other state's
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
Not enough data
4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Pennsylvania may also offer culinary school. How these figures are made

Is there free culinary school in Pennsylvania?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 4 culinary programs in Pennsylvania approved for WIOA funding

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4 programs

  • Culinary arts (associate degree)OnlineEducation and courses

    Culinary Arts Associate Degree

    Community College Allegheny County

    Based in Pittsburgh, PA

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    Community College Allegheny County, based in Pittsburgh, PACulinary arts (associate degree) · Accredited schoolOnline · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$13,346
    Program website, Culinary Arts Associate Degree at Community College Allegheny County
    More details about Culinary Arts Associate Degree at Community College Allegheny County
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    75 weeks, 13 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $3,350
    Students counted
    18
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $13,346
    Program website, Culinary Arts Associate Degree at Community College Allegheny County

  • Culinary arts certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Culinary Arts

    Laurel Technical Institute LLC

    Hermitage

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Laurel Technical Institute LLC, HermitageCulinary arts certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$23,000
    Price if you pay yourself$18,000
    Program website, Culinary Arts at Laurel Technical Institute LLC
    More details about Culinary Arts at Laurel Technical Institute LLC
    Finished
    75%
    Working at 6 months
    Left out
    Earned in a quarter
    $5,745
    Length
    45 weeks, 29 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $2,878
    Students counted
    15
    Earned a year, estimated
    $23,000
    Price if you pay yourself
    $18,000
    Program website, Culinary Arts at Laurel Technical Institute LLC

  • Culinary arts certificate or diplomaOnlineNo diploma needed

    Culinary Arts - Comprehensive

    Monroe Career & Technical Institute

    Based in Bartonsville, PA

    No diploma needed

    Monroe Career & Technical Institute, based in Bartonsville, PACulinary arts certificate or diplomaOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$3,310
    Program website, Culinary Arts - Comprehensive at Monroe Career & Technical Institute
    More details about Culinary Arts - Comprehensive at Monroe Career & Technical Institute
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    50 weeks, 6 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $225
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $3,310
    Program website, Culinary Arts - Comprehensive at Monroe Career & Technical Institute

  • Culinary arts certificate or diplomaOnlineHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Culinary Basics Certificate

    Community College Allegheny County

    Based in Pittsburgh, PA

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Community College Allegheny County, based in Pittsburgh, PACulinary arts certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolOnline · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$5,120
    Program website, Culinary Basics Certificate at Community College Allegheny County
    More details about Culinary Basics Certificate at Community College Allegheny County
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    30 weeks, 9 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $900
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $5,120
    Program website, Culinary Basics Certificate at Community College Allegheny County

How to pay for culinary school in Pennsylvania

WIOA funding can pay for culinary school in Pennsylvania

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for culinary school

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for culinary school

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Pennsylvania

How culinary school compares with the rest of food and hospitality: Culinary and hospitality programs in Pennsylvania

Where the Pennsylvania culinary arts program numbers come from

Which Pennsylvania culinary arts programs are on this list?

These are the culinary arts programs Pennsylvania approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Pennsylvania offers.

How the prices and results of Pennsylvania culinary arts programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Pennsylvania figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for Pennsylvania: its rates sit far below every other state's, and the counts suggest jobs were traced only for students whose training was publicly paid.

Sources for the facts about culinary school in Pennsylvania

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Chefs and Head Cooks
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List