Culinary Arts and Related Services programs in Virginia
22 schools in Virginia teach this, at certificate or associate level. 3 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $23,974 at ECPI University.
What this work pays in Virginia
Cooks, Restaurant in Virginia earn a median of $36,750 a year across 40,310 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 Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $45,550 | 30,640 |
| Bartenders | $47,070 | 13,370 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,890 | 11,170 |
| Bakers | $34,430 | 7,820 |
| Food Service Managers | $71,230 | 3,820 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECPI University Virginia Beach | Associate's degree | $17,896 | $23,974 (162 grads) | 111 |
| Virginia Western Community College Roanoke | Associate's degree | — | $23,649 (15 grads) | 11 |
| Tidewater Community College Norfolk | Associate's degree | $16,637 | $19,227 (33 grads) | 7 |
| ECPI University Virginia Beach | Undergraduate certificate | $7,823 | not published | 11 |
| Tidewater Community College Norfolk | Undergraduate certificate | $16,000 | not published | 18 |
| Central Virginia Community College Lynchburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Central Virginia Community College Lynchburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Columbia College Vienna | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Columbia College Vienna | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Danville Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 36 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Mountain Gateway Community College Clifton Forge | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Mountain Gateway Community College Clifton Forge | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Northern Virginia Community College Annandale | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Rappahannock Community College Glenns | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| Southside Virginia Community College Alberta | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Southwest Virginia Community College Cedar Bluff | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Virginia Western Community College Roanoke | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 15 |
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.