27 schools · North Carolina
Culinary schools in North Carolina
27 schools in North Carolina offer culinary arts programs (25 of them public), with 22 certificate and 25 associate programs between them.
All culinary arts programs in North Carolina
Sorted by earnings one year after graduation. Click a heading to sort; tuition is the school's yearly tuition and fees (2025-26), in-state for public schools.
| School | Type | Credential | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt | School tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 27 | $46,577 | $42,564 | n/a | $2,284 |
| Johnson & Wales University-CharlotteCharlotte, NC | Private 2-year college | Associate degree | 157 | $36,999 | $42,395 | $14,000 | $44,581 |
| Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 26 | $33,470 | $34,705 | n/a | $2,454 |
| Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 24 | $28,755 | $34,159 | $19,850 | $2,334 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 17 | n/a | $38,846 | n/a | $2,882 |
| Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 48 | n/a | $37,695 | n/a | $2,284 |
| Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC | Community college | Certificate | 60 | n/a | $27,849 | $15,549 | $2,334 |
| Alamance Community CollegeGraham, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 15 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,592 |
| Alamance Community CollegeGraham, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,592 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 58 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,882 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical InstituteHudson, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,620 |
| Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmington, NC | Community college | Certificate | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,772 |
| Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmington, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,772 |
| Carteret Community CollegeMorehead City, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 32 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,900 |
| Carteret Community CollegeMorehead City, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,900 |
| Central Carolina Community CollegeSanford, NC | Community college | Certificate | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,741 |
| Central Carolina Community CollegeSanford, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,741 |
| Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC | Community college | Certificate | 291 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,454 |
| Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonville, NC | Community college | Certificate | 32 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,512 |
| Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonville, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,512 |
| College of the AlbemarleElizabeth City, NC | Community college | Certificate | 15 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,273 |
| Durham Technical Community CollegeDurham, NC | Community college | Certificate | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,986 |
| Durham Technical Community CollegeDurham, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,986 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayetteville, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 104 | n/a | n/a | $6,036 | $2,344 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayetteville, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,344 |
| Lenoir Community CollegeKinston, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,618 |
| Lenoir Community CollegeKinston, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,618 |
| Livingstone CollegeSalisbury, NC | Private college | Associate degree | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $18,296 |
| Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC | Community college | Certificate | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,641 |
| Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,641 |
| Montgomery Community CollegeTroy, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,538 |
| Nash Community CollegeRocky Mount, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 25 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,800 |
| Nash Community CollegeRocky Mount, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,800 |
| Robeson Community CollegeLumberton, NC | Community college | Certificate | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,634 |
| Robeson Community CollegeLumberton, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,634 |
| Sandhills Community CollegePinehurst, NC | Community college | Certificate | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,040 |
| Sandhills Community CollegePinehurst, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,040 |
| South Piedmont Community CollegePolkton, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,022 |
| Southwestern Community CollegeSylva, NC | Community college | Certificate | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,448 |
| Southwestern Community CollegeSylva, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,448 |
| Tri-County Community CollegeMurphy, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,705 |
| Vance-Granville Community CollegeHenderson, NC | Community college | Certificate | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,964 |
| Vance-Granville Community CollegeHenderson, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $1,964 |
| Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboro, NC | Public community or technical college | Certificate | 48 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,572 |
| Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboro, NC | Public community or technical college | Associate degree | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,572 |
| Wilson Community CollegeWilson, NC | Community college | Certificate | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,572 |
| Wilson Community CollegeWilson, NC | Community college | Associate degree | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,572 |
Cities with the most programs: Charlotte (2), Raleigh (1), Jamestown (1), Asheville (1), Graham (1), Hudson (1), Wilmington (1), Morehead City (1), Sanford (1), Jacksonville (1), Elizabeth City (1), Durham (1).
What counts: culinary arts, baking and pastry, and food service.
Frequently asked questions
How many culinary schools are in North Carolina?
27 schools in North Carolina awarded culinary arts certificates or associate degrees recently, according to the U.S. Department of Education: 22 certificate and 25 associate programs.
Which culinary arts program in North Carolina has the highest earnings?
Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, where associate degree graduates earned a median of $46,577 one year after finishing (programs with at least 5 graduates).
What is the cheapest culinary arts school in North Carolina?
By yearly tuition and fees, Carteret Community College in Morehead City charges $1,900 (2025-26, in-state). Program fees, tools and licensing exams can add to that, so ask the school.
More in North Carolina: all trade schools · colleges
Other trades: Welding · HVAC · Electrician · Plumbing · Carpentry · Construction trades · Auto and diesel mechanic · Heavy equipment mechanic · Truck driving (CDL) · Cosmetology and barbering · Medical assistant · LPN and CNA · Dental assisting and hygiene · Phlebotomy and medical lab · EMT, surgical tech and imaging · Medical billing and coding · Massage therapy · Paralegal
Culinary schools nationwide
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (institution and field of study files), data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. What each figure covers.