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Culinary and hospitality programs in Illinois

34 culinary and hospitality programs in 2 fields of food and hospitality, with results and funding that can make them free

18 schools offer these programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Compare the 2 fields below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

These programs cover kitchens, hotels and restaurants: culinary school and baking on one side, hospitality management for hotels, restaurants and events on the other. Most are certificates; some are two-year degrees.

All job training programs in Illinois, every line of work

Accredited culinary and hospitality schools in Illinois, each school with its accreditor

Culinary and hospitality programs by state, to compare Illinois with other states

Compare culinary and hospitality programs in Illinois: cost, pay and results

Each figure is the middle program of that field. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools in Illinois may offer more. How these figures are made

Are there free culinary and hospitality programs in Illinois?

Other job training in Illinois, by line of work

Programs approved in Illinois in each line of work.

Where the Illinois culinary and hospitality numbers come from

Which Illinois programs are counted?

Programs Illinois approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) in the fields listed above. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).5 They come from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Illinois offers.

What the figures for each field mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where a figure is missing, the table says why: "Not reported", "Left out" or "Not enough data" (what each means).

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".6 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the funding facts about culinary and hospitality programs in Illinois

Show the 6 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  2. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  3. 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)
  4. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  5. 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
  6. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns