Culinary Arts and Related Services programs in Illinois
39 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 8 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $32,925 at Triton College.
What this work pays in Illinois
Cooks, Restaurant in Illinois earn a median of $37,580 a year across 53,540 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Bartenders | $31,200 | 43,010 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $39,470 | 41,030 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,440 | 22,840 |
| Bakers | $37,030 | 12,420 |
| Food Service Managers | $63,930 | 11,270 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton College River Grove | Associate's degree | — | $32,925 (12 grads) | 4 |
| National Louis University Chicago | Associate's degree | $12,833 | $30,264 (65 grads) | 50 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | — | $26,353 (18 grads) | 15 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | $24,863 (38 grads) | 15 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | — | $24,035 (11 grads) | 14 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | — | $21,508 (27 grads) | 14 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Associate's degree | — | $20,140 (12 grads) | 10 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | $18,087 (11 grads) | 3 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | $5,250 | not published | 73 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 22 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | — | not published | 39 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | — | not published | 24 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 47 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 38 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 104 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 81 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 35 |
| National Louis University Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 25 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Roosevelt University Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Triton College River Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Culinary Arts and Related Services — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.