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AlmaSpire

Hyde Park, NY · Private · 3,011 undergraduates · suburban

Culinary Institute of America

Less selective

A degree-granting college where professional kitchens and hospitality operations are core academic facilities.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Solid in mobility, and steady in student experience.
Academic Emerging Affordability Steady Career Steady Mobility Solid Experience Steady
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Solid
Student experience Steady
Admission
91.8% admitted

2,161 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
72%

$47,475 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Culinary Institute of America apart

Academic design

Programs include culinary arts, baking and pastry, food business management, culinary science, applied food studies, and hospitality, combining classroom study with production kitchens and industry-facing experience.

Campus pattern

The Hudson Valley campus operates more like a professional food-and-hospitality operation than a conventional university, with teaching kitchens, restaurants, labs, and food events shaping daily life.

Defining feature

A degree-granting college where professional kitchens and hospitality operations are core academic facilities.

Can I get in?

91.8% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

2,161

About 92 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 91.8%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%970–1195
8201340
ACT middle 50%17–25
1230
Academic benchmarkLess selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Culinary Institute of America, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Culinary Institute of America weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Programs include culinary arts, baking and pastry, food business management, culinary science, applied food studies, and hospitality, combining classroom study with production kitchens and industry-facing experience.

02

Make the fit specific

A degree-granting college where professional kitchens and hospitality operations are core academic facilities.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Application routeInstitution application

No application fee recorded

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$59,130
Average annual cost after aid$36,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Culinary Institute of America

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

A degree-granting college where professional kitchens and hospitality operations are core academic facilities.

Complete within 8 years72%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one72.7%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$47,475

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

Culinary Institute of America beyond the classroom

The Hudson Valley campus operates more like a professional food-and-hospitality operation than a conventional university, with teaching kitchens, restaurants, labs, and food events shaping daily life.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Programs include culinary arts, baking and pastry, food business management, culinary science, applied food studies, and hospitality, combining classroom study with production kitchens and industry-facing experience.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Hudson Valley campus operates more like a professional food-and-hospitality operation than a conventional university, with teaching kitchens, restaurants, labs, and food events shaping daily life.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A degree-granting college where professional kitchens and hospitality operations are core academic facilities.

3,011 undergraduatesMid-Atlanticsuburban settingPrimarily off-campus housing