7 colleges and career schools in Minnesota train cooks, chefs and bakers, all of them public community or technical colleges. After grants, students pay between $9,082 and $15,291 a year on average, with a median of $10,432; the lowest-cost option is South Central College in North Mankato. Of these, 2 teach baking & pastry and 2 offer culinary or restaurant management.
The table below lists every Minnesota 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.
| School | City | Type | Tuition/yr | Net price/yr | Enrollment | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin Technical CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions. | Brooklyn Park | Public | $5,940 | $10,272 | 3,157 | Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts |
| Minnesota North CollegeCulinary Arts Diploma (35 credits), Hibbing campus | Hibbing | Public | $6,022 | $10,432 | 2,013 | Culinary Arts |
| St Cloud Technical and Community College | Saint Cloud | Public | $6,124 | $9,635 | 3,113 | Culinary Arts |
| South Central CollegeLowest average net price in the state: $9,082/yr after grants. | North Mankato | Public | $6,146 | $9,082 | 1,946 | Culinary Arts |
| Saint Paul CollegeReports both culinary arts and baking & pastry completions. | Saint Paul | Public | $6,326 | $11,495 | 3,813 | Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts |
| Normandale Community CollegeLargest enrollment on this list (7,044 students). | Bloomington | Public | $6,329 | $12,972 | 7,044 | Culinary Management |
| Southwest Minnesota State UniversityBS Hospitality Management, Culinary Management concentration | Marshall | Public | $10,361 | $15,291 | 2,315 | Culinary Management |
Showing 7 of 7 schools
Standout culinary programs in Minnesota
A note on accreditation first: no Minnesota program currently appears on the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Education Foundation’s accredited-program list. Saint Paul College and Hennepin Technical College have held ACF accreditation in the past, so ask the school about its current status.
Hennepin Technical College: Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry (Brooklyn Park)
- Programs: “Culinary Arts Associate of Applied Science Degree” (65 credits over four semesters), a Culinary Entrepreneur AAS, and the separate “Baking and Pastry Entrepreneur Associate of Applied Science Degree” (60 credits, partly online) with a 20-credit certificate. Daytime classes start in fall, spring and summer.
- ACF: the 2026-27 catalog still mentions ACF accreditation, but Hennepin does not appear on ACF’s current list. Graduates are eligible to pursue ACF certification.
- 2026-27 cost: one rate for residents and non-residents: $225.67 per credit including fees, or $257.03 for culinary courses. The Culinary Arts AAS comes to about $16,237 (estimated, our arithmetic; books, knives and uniforms extra). The baking AAS is about $13,540.20 to $15,421.80, depending on which rate the baking courses carry.
- Suits: Twin Cities students who want baking and pastry as a full degree, with an on-campus gourmet dining room for front-of-house practice.
Saint Paul College: Culinary Arts (Saint Paul)
- Programs: “Culinary Arts AAS”, “Culinary Arts Diploma”, “Pastry and Baking Certificate” and “Culinary Entrepreneurship Certificate”, with coursework in pastry, butchery, charcuterie and restaurant supervision.
- Kitchen: the student-run City View Grille.
- ACF: its own outcomes report lists the AAS, diploma and pastry certificate as ACF-accredited for 2023 and 2024, but the college’s accreditation page no longer names ACF and it is not on ACF’s current list.
- Outcomes (2023-2024): 32% graduation and 59% job placement for the AAS and diploma.
- 2026-27 cost: $231.20 to $335.45 per credit on campus including fees, or about $6,936 to $10,063.50 for a 30-credit year (estimated, our arithmetic).
- Suits: city students who want a working restaurant and a short pastry option.
St. Cloud Technical & Community College: Culinary Arts (St. Cloud)
- Programs: Culinary Arts AAS (66 credits over five terms, including summer) and a Culinary Arts Diploma with a foodservice internship. Graduates are licensed in ServSafe.
- 2026-27 cost: $259.67 per credit for culinary programs. The college’s own estimates are $19,558 for the AAS, including $2,420 of books and supplies, and $8,570 for the diploma, including $780.
- Suits: central Minnesota students who want the college to publish an all-in program price before they enroll.
South Central College: Culinary Arts (North Mankato)
- Programs: Culinary Arts AAS (67 credits) and Culinary Arts Diploma (55 credits), both starting in fall, with butchery, garde manger, two baking courses and an advanced capstone. Students practice in an operational dining room and cafeteria.
- 2026-27 cost: $230.36 per credit including fees, the same for non-residents, with small extra charges on culinary courses. The AAS is about $15,919 (estimated, our arithmetic).
- Suits: southern Minnesota students; it also has the lowest federal net price in the state, $9,082 a year.
Minnesota North College: Culinary Arts Diploma (Hibbing)
- Program: a single 35-credit “Culinary Arts Diploma” (the program page calls it Culinary Arts/Food Service Management), fall and spring, aimed at jobs such as sous chef, banquet chef and production cook. There is no culinary AAS or baking award.
- 2026-27 cost: $221.61 per credit including fees, with differential tuition on culinary courses. The college’s cost page shows $7,775.60, which leaves out that differential; at 2026-27 rates we estimate about $8,175.
- Suits: Iron Range and Duluth-area readers who want the shortest, lowest-cost route into a kitchen.
Southwest Minnesota State University: Hospitality Management, Culinary Management (Marshall)
- Program: “Bachelor of Science: Hospitality Management” with a Culinary Management concentration, taught in renovated kitchen labs with catering work. It is a hospitality degree, not a culinary arts degree.
- 2026-27 cost: $5,758.31 a semester for 12 to 18 credits, or about $46,066.48 over four years (estimated, our arithmetic). Wisconsin residents pay the Minnesota rate.
- Suits: students aiming for food service management who want a four-year degree.
What culinary school costs in Minnesota
Minnesota’s public colleges price by the credit. Hennepin, South Central and Minnesota North charge non-residents the same as residents, so coming from Wisconsin or the Dakotas costs nothing extra there; St. Cloud charges students from MSEP states $264.43 per credit at its standard rate. At most of these colleges, culinary courses carry a higher differential rate than general classes, which is why program totals run above the base per-credit price. At 2026-27 rates, a diploma costs about $8,175 at Minnesota North to $8,570 at St. Cloud, and an associate degree about $15,919 at South Central, $16,237 at Hennepin and $19,558 at St. Cloud, before aid. After grants, federal data shows students paying $9,082 to $15,291 a year school-wide, median $10,432.
In Minneapolis–St. Paul, Saint Paul College and Hennepin Technical College are the two hands-on public culinary programs; Normandale Community College in Bloomington teaches hospitality and food & beverage management rather than cooking, with a 17-credit certificate that comes to about $3,886.20 at its $228.60 resident per-credit rate (our arithmetic; fees may be extra). Baking students should compare Hennepin and Saint Paul on our baking & pastry directory; management options are on the culinary management directory.
Culinary jobs and pay in Minnesota
Minnesota’s kitchen pay sits close to the national median for cooks and chefs, and higher for bakers and managers.
| Job | Jobs in Minnesota | Median pay in Minnesota | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant cooks | 26,080 | $38,590 | $37,390 |
| Bakers | 2,660 | $40,210 | $37,160 |
| Chefs and head cooks | 1,730 | $62,600 | $62,470 |
| Food service managers | 730 | $79,820 | $69,390 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Studying online from Minnesota?
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. The Institute of Culinary Education’s online programs are not approved for Minnesota residents. We compare every option, with accreditation and outcomes, on our online culinary schools page.
Closed or changed schools you may still see listed
- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis/St. Paul (Mendota Heights) stopped taking applications in 2016; its last students could finish until September 2017.
- The Art Institutes International Minnesota (downtown Minneapolis) stopped enrolling in June 2016 and closed in July 2019.
- Central Lakes College no longer lists Culinary Arts among its programs (checked November 2026), so we removed it.
- Minnesota North College now offers only the 35-credit Culinary Arts Diploma at Hibbing; there is no culinary associate degree or baking program.
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College has no culinary, baking or hospitality program on any campus, so it is not in the table.
Minnesota culinary school FAQs
How many culinary schools are in Minnesota?
7 public colleges and universities in Minnesota train cooks, chefs, bakers or food service managers, according to federal completions data checked against each school's catalog in November 2026. Five teach hands-on culinary arts; Normandale Community College and Southwest Minnesota State University focus on hospitality and food service management.
How much does culinary school cost in Minnesota?
After grants, students pay $9,082 to $15,291 a year on average, with a median of $10,432. At 2026-27 rates, a culinary diploma costs about $8,175 to $8,570 and an associate degree about $15,919 to $19,558 before aid; Hennepin Technical College's Culinary Arts AAS is about $16,237 (our estimate).
What is the cheapest culinary school in Minnesota?
By total program cost, Minnesota North College's 35-credit Culinary Arts Diploma in Hibbing is the cheapest, at about $8,175 in 2026-27 tuition and fees (our estimate). By federal net price, South Central College in North Mankato is lowest at $9,082 a year, though that figure covers the whole college.
Which Minnesota schools offer baking and pastry programs?
Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park offers a Baking and Pastry Entrepreneur AAS and certificates, and Saint Paul College offers a Pastry and Baking Certificate.
Are any Minnesota culinary schools ACF-accredited?
No Minnesota program currently appears on the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation's accredited-program list. Saint Paul College and Hennepin Technical College have held ACF accreditation in the past, and Hennepin's catalog still mentions it, so ask the school directly.
How long does culinary school take in Minnesota?
Diplomas take two to three terms, for example two semesters at Minnesota North College. Associate degrees run 65 to 67 credits over four or five semesters at Hennepin, South Central and St. Cloud, and Southwest Minnesota State's hospitality bachelor's degree takes four years.
Culinary schools in nearby states
Sources
- American Culinary Federation, Accredited Postsecondary Programs, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Hennepin Technical College 2026-27 catalog, Culinary Arts AAS, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Hennepin Technical College, Tuition Rates 2026-2027, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Saint Paul College, Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Saint Paul College, ACFEFAC Program Outcomes Report, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Saint Paul College, Tuition and Fees, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Cloud Technical & Community College, 2026-2027 Program Costs, retrieved November 9, 2026
- South Central College, Tuition and Fees, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Minnesota North College, Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Southwest Minnesota State University, Undergraduate Tuition, retrieved November 9, 2026
- WCCO/CBS Minnesota, Le Cordon Bleu campus to close, retrieved November 9, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Our methodology for the school list and net prices (College Scorecard and IPEDS), checked November 2026