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Culinary Schools in Arizona (2026-27)

By · Reviewed November 10, 2026 · Editorial policy

10 colleges and career schools in Arizona train cooks, chefs and bakers, 9 of them public community or technical colleges. After grants, students pay between $3,405 and $38,815 a year on average, with a median of $8,306; the lowest-cost option is Pima Community College in Tucson. Of these, 6 teach baking & pastry and 3 offer culinary or restaurant management.

Explore Arizona: Baking & pastry schools in Arizona · Culinary management programs in Arizona · Online culinary programs open to Arizona residents · All states
Studying in Phoenix? Culinary schools in Phoenix

The table below lists every Arizona school that reported culinary graduates to the U.S. Department of Education and whose own catalog still shows the program, checked in November 2026. Net price is what aid recipients actually paid per year, school-wide, from the federal College Scorecard; sort by it rather than by the published tuition. Programs we single out further down were checked on each school’s website.

10Schools
$3,405Lowest net price/yr
$7,929Median net price/yr
6Baking & pastry programs
Tuition = published annual price. Net price = average paid after grants (federal aid recipients). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, retrieved November 2026.
School City Type Tuition/yr Net price/yr Enrollment Programs
Arizona Culinary InstituteScottsdaleFor-profit-$38,815149Culinary Arts
Tohono O'odham Community CollegeSellsPublic$932$4,233998Culinary Arts
Mohave Community CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions.KingmanPublic$2,208$5,9743,216Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts
Central Arizona CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions.CoolidgePublic$2,250$4,7144,912Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts
Cochise County Community College DistrictReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions.Sierra VistaPublic$2,280$7,9293,096Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts
Scottsdale Community CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions.ScottsdalePublic$2,358$13,3365,377Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts Culinary Management
Estrella Mountain Community CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions.AvondalePublic$2,358$12,2544,512Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts
Pima Community CollegeLowest average net price in the state: $3,405/yr after grants.TucsonPublic$2,442$3,40514,242Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts Culinary Management
Yavapai College2026-27 catalog offers only the 16-credit Culinary Arts Fundamentals Certificate; no baking credential. https://catalog.yc.edu/mime/media/29/2145/2026-2027-AY-Catalog.pdfPrescottPublic$2,948$8,6833,988Culinary Arts
Arizona Western CollegeYumaPublic$3,060$8,9836,374Culinary Arts Culinary Management

Showing 10 of 10 schools

Standout culinary programs in Arizona

Scottsdale Community College: Scottsdale

SCC, part of the Maricopa Community Colleges, lists a “Culinary Arts” Associate in Applied Science (60 to 67 credits in the 2026-2027 catalog) and a 60-credit “Baking and Pastry Arts” AAS, plus the “Culinary: Foundations”, “Culinary: Professional” and 18-to-20-credit “Commercial Baking and Pastry” certificates. For restaurant management it offers the “Hospitality: Restaurant Management” AAS and certificate. Admission is selective: culinary applicants submit a formal application before a kitchen tour and interview, then take each block of courses together, and baking students need a Maricopa County Food Handlers Card before the core courses. SCC’s culinary degree is the only program in Arizona on the American Culinary Federation’s accredited list (“Associate Degree in Culinary Arts”, accredited through December 2027); the baking degree is not on that list. Average net price is $13,336. It suits Phoenix-area students who want an ACF-accredited degree or a full baking AAS at a public college.

Pima Community College: Tucson (Desert Vista Campus)

Pima no longer lists a Culinary Arts AAS; its old degree page now returns an error. Its current culinary awards are a “Certificate, Baking & Pastry Arts” (one year full time, in person or hybrid), a “Certificate, Hospitality Fundamentals”, an “Advanced Certificate, Hospitality” that adds advanced cooking techniques and kitchen operations (one year full time plus summer), and an “Associate of Applied Science, Hospitality Leadership”. Training takes place at the Hospitality Leadership Center of Excellence, and students run the Aztec grill and catering. Resident tuition for 2026-27 is $103 per credit, capped at 15 credits a semester ($1,545), so a one-year certificate is an estimated $3,090 in general tuition. Pima’s $3,405 average net price is the lowest in the state. It suits Tucson students, especially those aiming at baking or hospitality management on a tight budget.

Arizona Culinary Institute: Scottsdale

ACI is a private, for-profit school with one career program, the “Diploma in Culinary Arts, Baking, and Restaurant Management”: 32 weeks by day or 40 weeks at night, made up of eight courses that include two in baking and pastry (about 950 clock hours by our count). Tuition is $29,695 plus a $1,805 supply fee covering textbooks, uniforms and a professional knife kit, for a total of $31,500. Shorter avocational courses in culinary arts or baking cost $8,500 for eight weeks. The next class starts January 4, 2027. The national accreditor ACCSC renewed ACI’s accreditation in its August 14, 2025 public notice; ACI is not on the ACF list. Its average net price, $38,815, is the highest in the state. It suits career changers who want a fast, full-time diploma rather than a two-year degree.

Cochise College: Sierra Vista

Cochise offers four culinary certificates, each under a year: “Culinary Arts” (28 credits over three semesters), “Culinary Baking and Pastry” (17 credits over two semesters), “Culinary Fundamentals” and “Culinary Skills”. It does not list a culinary associate degree. Average net price is $7,929. It suits southeastern Arizona students who want a short certificate, including one of the few baking credentials outside the Phoenix and Tucson areas.

Arizona Western College: Yuma

Arizona Western lists Culinary Arts Level 1 and Level 2 certificates, a “Culinary Arts with a Focus in Entrepreneurship” certificate and an “A.A.S. Culinary Arts”, all taught on campus (not online). It has no baking award. Average net price is $8,983. It suits students in the Yuma area who want to go from a short certificate to a degree at one college.

Other Arizona programs

In the Phoenix area, Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale is the second Maricopa college that teaches the Culinary Arts AAS; one of the degree’s two specializations is taught only there. EVIT in Mesa runs ACF-accredited culinary and baking programs, but they are high-school programs that admit adults only when space allows. In Prescott, Yavapai College’s 2026-2027 catalog has only a 16-credit “Culinary Arts Fundamentals Certificate”. Tohono O’odham Community College in Sells offers “Culinary Art Certificate I” and “Culinary Art Certificate II”. Mohave Community College in Kingman (its catalog now uses the name Mohave College) and Central Arizona College in Coolidge both report culinary and baking graduates to the federal government, but their websites blocked our checks, so confirm current programs with them directly.

What culinary school costs in Arizona

Pima publishes 2026-27 resident tuition of $103 per credit, capped at 15 credits a semester, with Hotel & Restaurant Management (HRM) courses carrying an extra $127.50 per credit; culinary (CUL) courses carry no surcharge. The Maricopa colleges, including Scottsdale and Estrella Mountain, charge the same tuition at every campus, though course fees differ; their 2026-27 tuition pages blocked our checks, so confirm the current per-credit rate with the college. Uniforms, knives and course fees are extra at the public colleges. Arizona Culinary Institute’s $31,500 diploma price includes supplies.

By average net price, what aid recipients actually paid per year school-wide, Pima ($3,405), Tohono O’odham ($4,233) and Central Arizona ($4,714) cost least, while the two Maricopa colleges sit at $12,254 (Estrella Mountain) and $13,336 (Scottsdale) and ACI at $38,815. Our methodology page explains how we use these figures. Western Arizona students can also compare programs in Nevada and California, and those in the east can look at New Mexico.

Culinary jobs and pay in Arizona

Arizona’s median pay is slightly above the national figure for restaurant cooks, bakers and food service managers, and below it for chefs and head cooks.

Job Jobs in Arizona Median pay in Arizona U.S. median
Restaurant cooks 30,870 $38,670 $37,390
Bakers 4,000 $37,700 $37,160
Chefs and head cooks 4,080 $59,890 $62,470
Food service managers 3,400 $70,180 $69,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

Studying online from Arizona?

If no campus is close enough, accredited online diplomas and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking & pastry exist, but every one ends with an in-person externship in a working kitchen. Escoffier’s online baking & pastry diploma costs $22,800 and its associate degree $34,425 for the whole program. Arizona residents can also enroll in the Institute of Culinary Education’s online diplomas ($22,000 to $22,500). We compare every option, with accreditation and outcomes, on our online culinary schools page. Baking students can compare in-person options on our baking & pastry programs page, and management programs are on our culinary management page.

Closed or changed schools you may still see listed

  • Phoenix College: its 2026-27 award pages list no culinary, baking or hospitality credential, and the Maricopa Culinary Arts AAS now names only Estrella Mountain and Scottsdale as offering colleges. We removed it from the table.
  • Pima Community College, Culinary Arts AAS: the degree page is gone; Pima now offers the Hospitality Leadership AAS and the certificates above.
  • Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Scottsdale: closure of all U.S. Le Cordon Bleu campuses, including Scottsdale, was announced in December 2015; the last campuses closed by September 2017.
  • The Art Institutes of Phoenix and Tucson: both have closed (Tucson stopped enrolling in January 2016); the chain’s last campuses shut on September 30, 2023.
  • Eastern Arizona College and Regional Center for Border Health: removed from our table. Eastern Arizona lists no culinary program, and the Regional Center’s only food program is a six-week food-service management course leading to ServSafe certification.
  • Yavapai College: now offers only the 16-credit fundamentals certificate; it has no baking credential.

Arizona culinary school FAQs

How many culinary schools are in Arizona?

10 Arizona colleges and career schools report culinary graduates to the U.S. Department of Education and still list a program: 9 public colleges and one private school, Arizona Culinary Institute in Scottsdale.

How much does culinary school cost in Arizona?

After grants, students pay between $3,405 and $38,815 a year on average, with a median of $8,306. For 2026-27, Pima Community College charges residents $103 per credit, capped at $1,545 a semester, so its one-year baking certificate is an estimated $3,090 in general tuition.

What is the cheapest culinary school in Arizona?

Pima Community College in Tucson has the lowest average net price at $3,405 a year. Tohono O'odham Community College ($4,233) and Central Arizona College ($4,714) come next.

Which Arizona schools offer baking and pastry programs?

Scottsdale Community College offers a 60-credit Baking and Pastry Arts AAS and a Commercial Baking and Pastry certificate, Pima Community College a one-year Baking & Pastry Arts certificate, and Cochise College a 17-credit Culinary Baking and Pastry certificate. Arizona Culinary Institute's diploma also includes two baking courses.

How much does Arizona Culinary Institute cost?

The Diploma in Culinary Arts, Baking, and Restaurant Management costs $31,500: $29,695 in tuition plus a $1,805 supply fee that covers textbooks, uniforms and a knife kit. It takes 32 weeks by day or 40 weeks at night.

Are any Arizona culinary programs ACF-accredited?

One: Scottsdale Community College's Associate Degree in Culinary Arts, accredited by the American Culinary Federation through December 2027. EVIT in Mesa also holds ACF accreditation, but for high-school programs.

Culinary schools in nearby states

Culinary Schools inCalifornia→Culinary Schools inNevada→Culinary Schools inNew Mexico→Culinary Schools inUtah→

How we build these lists

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: rebuilt with 2026-27 tuition, verified standout programs, state pay data and closed-school notes.