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Culinary & pastry schools in Virginia
Virginia has 12 accredited campuses awarding culinary credentials. If you finish and work as a chef in Virginia, expect to start around $43,010–$50,170 and reach a median of $63,270 with experience; the top quarter earn $77,270 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Virginia). Graduates of these Virginia programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $22,745 in their first year, against $24,208 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What chefs and head cooks earn in Virginia
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 3,600 employed in Virginia. National median: $62,470.
Campuses in Virginia, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AlbertaAnnandaleCharlottesvilleClifton ForgeGlennsLynchburgMartinsvilleNorfolkRichmondRoanokeViennaVirginia Beach
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidewater Community College | Norfolk | Public | 24 | $23,264 | $16,000 | 32% | not reported |
| ECPI University | Virginia Beach | for-profit | 96 | $22,745 | $7,823 | not reported | not reported |
| Virginia Western Community College | Roanoke | Public | 21 | $21,466 | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Richmond | Public | 38 | not reported | not reported | 32% | not reported |
| Rappahannock Community College | Glenns | Public | 28 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Central Virginia Community College | Lynchburg | Public | 21 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Southside Virginia Community College | Alberta | Public | 21 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| Piedmont Virginia Community College | Charlottesville | Public | 14 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Columbia College | Vienna | for-profit | 7 | not reported | not reported | 80% | $13,440 |
| Mountain Gateway Community College | Clifton Forge | Public | 7 | not reported | not reported | 38% | not reported |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | Public | 7 | not reported | not reported | 33% | not reported |
| Patrick & Henry Community College | Martinsville | Public | 4 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.