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Culinary Schools in Indianapolis (2026-27)

By · Reviewed November 10, 2026 · Editorial policy

There is one college that teaches culinary arts for credit among the culinary schools in Indianapolis: Ivy Tech Community College, at its Culinary and Conference Center on North Meridian Street. Its 60-credit Culinary Arts AAS costs Indiana residents about $10,308 to $10,703 in tuition for 2026-27, plus about $1,095 for textbooks, and both its culinary degree (accredited since 1987) and its baking and pastry degree are accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Alongside it, Second Helpings runs free culinary job training near downtown, and IU Indianapolis teaches hospitality management rather than cooking.

We built this guide school by school in November 2026 from each provider’s own pages, Ivy Tech’s published 2026-27 tuition and the ACF’s accredited-program list. Where a college publishes a per-credit or per-semester rate, we multiplied it out; those totals say “about” or “our arithmetic”. For Ivy Tech’s other culinary campuses, Vincennes University and every other program in the state, see our guide to culinary schools in Indiana.

Culinary programs in and near Indianapolis

School Campus Programs (credential) 2026-27 cost ACF status
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis Culinary and Conference Center, 2820 N. Meridian St. Culinary Arts AAS (60 credits) About $10,308–$10,703 in-state; about $19,870 out of state Accredited since 1987; renewal due June 2027
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis 2820 N. Meridian St. Baking and Pastry AAS (60 credits) Same as culinary AAS Accredited since 2008; renewal due June 2027
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis 2820 N. Meridian St. Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts technical certificates (32 credits); shorter certificates in culinary, baking, catering and beverage management About $5,708.16 for the culinary technical certificate (in-state) Technical certificates accredited through June 2027
Second Helpings Culinary Job Training Glick Center, 1121 Southeastern Ave. Non-credit job training; ServSafe, AHLEI cook certification and up to 5 Ivy Tech credits Free Not applicable
IU Indianapolis Indianapolis B.S. in Tourism, Event, and Sport Management (Hospitality major); Food and Beverage Operations certificate (management, not chef training) $10,760 a year in-state, tuition and fees Not applicable

Where to train as a cook in Indianapolis

Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis

Ivy Tech’s culinary, baking and hospitality students train at the Culinary and Conference Center, 2820 N. Meridian St., north of downtown. They run two public outlets in the building: Courses Restaurant on the top floor and Courses Bakery & Cafe in the first-floor lobby. From late October to December 20, 2026, the restaurant serves Thursday lunch for $25 and dinner for $30, by reservation, which is a good way to see the kitchen before you apply.

The campus offers a Culinary Arts AAS and a Baking and Pastry AAS (60 credits each), a 32-credit technical certificate in each, and shorter certificates in culinary arts, baking, catering and beverage management. Indianapolis holds the oldest ACF accreditation in Indiana: culinary arts since 1987 and baking and pastry since 2008, with both degrees and the technical certificates due for renewal in June 2027. Ivy Tech Indianapolis is also accredited by ACPHA, which accredits hospitality programs. Ivy Tech suits anyone in Marion County and the surrounding counties who wants an accredited culinary or baking degree at a community-college price, and it is the route into IU Indianapolis’s hospitality bachelor’s.

Second Helpings Culinary Job Training

Second Helpings, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Center, 1121 Southeastern Ave., runs a free culinary job training program for unemployed and underemployed adults in Central Indiana. Two staff chefs and guest instructors teach four modules of classroom work and intensive cooking, from knife skills and breakfast cookery to meat, fish and vegetarian dishes and buffet and cook-to-order service. There is homework every night, and students are expected in class every day.

Students receive uniforms, transportation and textbook help, financial literacy training and job placement help, with the chance of a three-week paid internship. Graduates earn ServSafe Food Handler certification and AHLEI Cook Certification and are eligible for up to 5 credit hours in Ivy Tech’s culinary program. More than 1,000 adults have graduated.

To apply you must be 18 or older by the first day, unemployed or underemployed, in a stable living situation, drug-free or in treatment, and able to lift 30 pounds and stand for long periods. You also need to score at least 70% on a math, reading and retention exam. Income itself is not an admission factor. Register for an information session at the Southeastern Avenue building, or fill in the prospective-student form online.

IU Indianapolis: hospitality management, not chef training

IU Indianapolis’s Department of Tourism, Event, and Sport Management offers a Hospitality major and a Food and Beverage Operations certificate. These are management credentials, not cooking programs. Students who finish Ivy Tech’s Hospitality Administration AS can transfer in as juniors through a 2+2 agreement. Tuition and mandatory fees for 2026-27 are $10,760 a year for Indiana residents and $35,566 for out-of-state students.

What culinary school costs in Indianapolis

Ivy Tech has one statewide tuition rate, frozen through summer 2027, with no district rates. Indiana residents pay $2,577.11 a semester full time (12 or more credits) or $178.38 a credit. Four full-time semesters come to about $10,308, and paying by the credit comes to about $10,703, Ivy Tech’s own figure (our arithmetic for both). Ivy+ textbooks add $18.25 a credit, about $1,095 for the degree, so budget about $11,400 in-state before uniforms, knives and consumables. Out-of-state students pay $4,967.51 a semester or $348.97 a credit, about $19,870 for the AAS. The 32-credit technical certificate costs about $5,708.16 and the 16-credit certificate about $2,854.08 in-state. Second Helpings is free.

HUD’s FY2026 Fair Market Rent (October 2025 to September 2026) for the Indianapolis-Carmel metro is $1,118 a month for a studio and $1,267 for a one-bedroom. A one-bedroom at that rent would take about 42% of a restaurant cook’s median monthly pay in the metro (our arithmetic). Rent is lower than in Chicago, but a student living alone on cook’s wages will still be stretched; part-time work in a kitchen, shared housing or living at home makes the numbers work. Our culinary school cost guide compares these prices with the rest of the country.

Free and low-cost culinary training in Indianapolis

Second Helpings (above) is the free option: no tuition, with uniforms and transportation help included, for adults 18 and older who are unemployed or underemployed. Its up to 5 Ivy Tech credits give graduates a head start if they later enrol in the AAS. We did not find a union culinary academy or registered culinary apprenticeship in Indianapolis.

Culinary jobs and pay in Indianapolis

The metro has 9,180 restaurant cooks and 960 chefs and head cooks. Second Helpings says its graduates work across central Indiana as cooks, bakers, executive chefs and business owners. Food service managers here earn a median $75,730, above the U.S. median of $69,390, while chefs earn less than the national median.

Job Jobs in the metro area Median pay U.S. median
Restaurant cooks 9,180 $36,610 $37,390
Bakers 1,140 $36,870 $37,160
Chefs and head cooks 960 $49,010 $62,470
Food service managers 2,380 $75,730 $69,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area.

Closed schools you may still see listed

  • The Art Institute of Indianapolis closed for good on December 28, 2018.
  • The Chef’s Academy at Harrison College stopped enrolling in 2016, and Harrison College closed all its campuses in September 2018.
  • Le Cordon Bleu never had an Indiana campus; the nearest, in Chicago, closed in September 2017.

Indianapolis culinary school FAQs

What culinary schools are in Indianapolis?

Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis is the only college in the city that teaches culinary arts for credit, with ACF-accredited Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry degrees and certificates. Second Helpings offers free non-credit training, and IU Indianapolis offers hospitality management.

How much does culinary school cost in Indianapolis?

Ivy Tech’s 2026-27 in-state tuition is $2,577.11 a full-time semester, about $10,308 to $10,703 for the AAS plus about $1,095 in textbooks. Out-of-state students pay about $19,870. Second Helpings is free.

Is Ivy Tech Indianapolis ACF-accredited?

Yes. Its culinary arts degree has been accredited since 1987 and its baking and pastry degree since 2008, with renewal due in June 2027; the technical certificates are accredited too.

Is there free culinary training in Indianapolis?

Yes. Second Helpings Culinary Job Training is free for unemployed or underemployed adults 18 and older who pass its entrance exam, and graduates can earn up to 5 Ivy Tech credits.

Is the Art Institute of Indianapolis still open?

No. It closed on December 28, 2018.

Can I get a culinary bachelor’s degree in Indianapolis?

Not in culinary arts. Ivy Tech’s Hospitality Administration AS transfers into IU Indianapolis’s hospitality bachelor’s as a 2+2.

Nearby and online options

Vincennes University and Ivy Tech’s accredited culinary programs in Bloomington and Muncie are outside commuting range; all are covered on our Indiana culinary schools page. If you are willing to move, see our guide to culinary schools in Chicago. For pastry, compare baking and pastry programs in Indiana; to study from home, see online culinary programs; and for national prices, read what culinary school costs. Our city guides cover other major US cities.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: new city guide.