Arizona Culinary Institute
Scottsdale, AZ 85259
About Arizona Culinary Institute
Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit trade school in Scottsdale, Arizona, enrolling about 149 students. Programs focus on certificates and workforce credentials that prepare students for skilled trades and technical careers. The published completion rate is about 90.67% at 150% of normal time. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $41,651 among students who received federal aid.
Key findings
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $41,651.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Culinary Institute | — | $38,815 | 1 |
| Private For-profit (national median) | $16,637 | — | 477 |
| Arizona (state median) | $8,774 | $12,055 | 54 |
| Suburban (locale median) | $13,135 | $18,048 | 684 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Arizona Culinary Institute really?
Evidence: average net price at Arizona Culinary Institute versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Arizona Culinary Institute is $38,815.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $38,815 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $26,760 above the Arizona median net price. Versus suburban campuses, net price runs $20,767 above the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Arizona Culinary Institute: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Arizona Culinary Institute—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.
Financial profile
Avg. net price
$38,815
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $35,533 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $37,475 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $39,516 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $41,947 |
| $110,001+ | $42,649 |
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Arizona Culinary Institute is known for
Top program completions
See earnings & programs for more.
Is Arizona Culinary Institute a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Arizona Culinary Institute is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Arizona Culinary Institute.
Campus
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
City / state
- ZIP
- 85259
- NCES locale
- Suburb
Compared with Suburban campuses nationally, net price is about 2.2× the median for Suburban campuses ($18,048 median).
Control
Institution type
Private For-profit
Control
- Region
- Southwest
Size
Enrollment
149
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 220
- Full-time share
- 100%
Student aid
Debt & aid
$9,500
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 47.01%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Arizona Culinary Institute.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Arizona Culinary Institute was 0.00%.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Arizona Culinary Institute in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | — | — | $33,968 |
| 2014 | — | — | $32,519 |
| 2015 | — | — | $34,127 |
| 2016 | — | — | $32,949 |
| 2017 | — | — | $31,216 |
| 2018 | — | — | $32,598 |
| 2019 | — | — | $33,552 |
| 2020 | — | — | $35,478 |
| 2021 | — | — | $35,240 |
| 2022 | — | — | $35,857 |
| 2023 | — | — | $37,938 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.
Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Arizona Culinary Institute reported total enrollment of about 149 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 51% male and 49% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (55.0%), Hispanic or Latino (26.9%), and Black or African American (13.4%). About 47.01% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 40.3% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
100.0% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Arizona Culinary Institute in 2024 is 149 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 220 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
89.6%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
89.33% 100% Completion Time
90.67% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 89.33% of students graduating from Arizona Culinary Institute completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training: 54% male / 46% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
Arizona Culinary Institute graduates earn a median of $41,651 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Arizona Culinary Institute.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $41,651. Median federal loan debt: $9,500. Average net price used in cost models: $38,815.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Arizona Culinary Institute graduates report median earnings of $41,651 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Arizona Culinary Institute.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 1 programs by IPEDS completions (2 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Arizona Culinary Institute.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Arizona Culinary Institute graduates.
Institutional resources
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Arizona Culinary Institute—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Instructional Resources
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $6,354
- Arizona median 1.1× the median ($5,643)
- Southwest median 1.1× the median ($5,699)
- U.S. median 0.87× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.
Arizona Culinary Institute at a glance
Arizona Culinary Institute
Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit institution in Scottsdale, AZ.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training
- Largest enrollment groups
- White or Caucasian55.0%Hispanic or Latino26.9%Black or African American13.4%
Schools near Arizona Culinary Institute
Other campuses in Scottsdale, AZ when available, plus nearby institutions in Arizona.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade B) within Arizona, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Arizona Culinary Institute located?
Arizona Culinary Institute is located in Scottsdale, AZ.
How much does Arizona Culinary Institute cost?
Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $38,815 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What explains Arizona Culinary Institute's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($38,815), completion (90.7% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($41,651). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Arizona Culinary Institute?
Arizona Culinary Institute reports undergraduate enrollment of about 220 students, White (55.0%), Hispanic or Latino (26.9%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Arizona Culinary Institute?
About 40.3% of students at Arizona Culinary Institute are first-generation college students.
What do graduates of Arizona Culinary Institute earn?
Median earnings are $36,702 six years after entry and $41,651 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Arizona Culinary Institute?
The 150%-time completion rate is 90.7% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Arizona Culinary Institute students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $9,500.
Is Arizona Culinary Institute public or private?
Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Scottsdale, AZ.
Is Arizona Culinary Institute an HBCU?
No. Arizona Culinary Institute is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Arizona Culinary Institute a tribal college?
No. Arizona Culinary Institute is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Is Arizona Culinary Institute a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?
By the common federal eligibility proxy used here (≥25% Hispanic enrollment in College Scorecard), yes—Arizona Culinary Institute reports 26.9% Hispanic enrollment share.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.