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Culinary school in Connecticut

3 culinary programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

3 schools offer these culinary arts programs, and Connecticut has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Chefs and head cooks run the daily food preparation in restaurants and other places that serve food. Most start with a high school diploma and kitchen experience; some go through a culinary program at a community college, technical school or culinary school, and others learn in an apprenticeship.1

In Connecticut, all 3 programs ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 3 programs here are culinary arts certificate or diploma (2 programs) and cooking and kitchen job training (1 program).

See the 3 programs

How much does culinary school cost in Connecticut?

$3,925 to $5,698

is what the 3 programs with a price cost if you pay yourself

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
Not enough data
3 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Connecticut may also offer culinary school. How these figures are made

Is there free culinary school in Connecticut?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 3 culinary programs in Connecticut approved for WIOA funding

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3 programs

  • Cooking and kitchen job trainingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Culinary Job Training Program

    St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Inc.

    Waterbury

    High school diploma or equivalent

    St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Inc., WaterburyCooking and kitchen job trainingIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$28,600
    Price if you pay yourself$3,925
    More details about Culinary Job Training Program at St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Inc.
    Finished
    48%
    Working at 6 months
    69%
    Earned in a quarter
    $7,140
    Length
    12 weeks, 33 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $75
    Students counted
    35
    Earned a year, estimated
    $28,600
    Price if you pay yourself
    $3,925

  • Culinary arts certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Culinary Arts

    Naugatuck Valley Community College

    Waterbury

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Naugatuck Valley Community College, WaterburyCulinary arts certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$27,700
    Price if you pay yourself$5,516
    Program website, Culinary Arts at Naugatuck Valley Community College
    More details about Culinary Arts at Naugatuck Valley Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    83%
    Earned in a quarter
    $6,934
    Length
    48 weeks, 2 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,350
    Students counted
    33
    Earned a year, estimated
    $27,700
    Price if you pay yourself
    $5,516
    Program website, Culinary Arts at Naugatuck Valley Community College

  • Culinary arts certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Culinary Arts

    CT State Community College

    New Britain

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    CT State Community College, New BritainCulinary arts certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$5,698
    Program website, Culinary Arts at CT State Community College
    More details about Culinary Arts at CT State Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    30 weeks, 16 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $589
    Students counted
    58
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $5,698
    Program website, Culinary Arts at CT State Community College

How to pay for culinary school in Connecticut

WIOA funding can pay for culinary school in Connecticut

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for culinary school

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for culinary school

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Connecticut

How culinary school compares with the rest of food and hospitality: Culinary and hospitality programs in Connecticut

Where the Connecticut culinary arts program numbers come from

Which Connecticut culinary arts programs are on this list?

These are the culinary arts programs Connecticut approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Connecticut offers.

How the prices and results of Connecticut culinary arts programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about culinary school in Connecticut

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Chefs and Head Cooks
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List