Scholarships for Culinary Degrees
Students wanting to pursue a culinary degree can choose to study at a culinary school, public or private university, or community college. Culinary schools cost between $7,000 and $36,000 a year, community college degrees run between $2,000 and $5,000 a year, and a culinary degree from a private or public university can cost from $3,000 to $45,000 a year, according to Cooking Schools 101, from 2010. Students wishing to offset the cost of earning a degree can apply for numerous scholarships available exclusively for culinary students.
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Culinary Associations
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Culinary scholarships can come from culinary and restaurant associations, and often students must be members of or associated with that group to qualify for the awards. The American Culinary Federation's American Academy of Chefs provides nine scholarships to high school seniors and college students who are members of the American Culinary Federation. The National Association of College and University Food Services offers the DeHaven Scholarships each year to college students wanting to work in food service and who attend schools that are part of NACUFS.
Cooking Competitions
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Besides traditional scholarships, culinary students can earn scholarship money through competitions, like the ones offered by the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. The C-CAP scholarship culinary competition provides two types of scholarships: postsecondary awards that must be used at a specific school and cash scholarships that can be used at any school. Scholarship winners are determined by competition performance, cooking skills and financial need.
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Private Foundations
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Scholarships for culinary degrees also come from private sources, like foundations and trusts. The Culinary Trust, which supports education and research in culinary arts, sponsors 21 scholarships within three categories, including culinary and pastry education, continuing education, and research and internships. Private foundations also provide scholarships to honor important culinary contributors. The James Beard Foundation offers more than 70 general and school-specific scholarships to honor the memory of James Beard, a culinary educator.
Culinary Schools
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Some culinary degree scholarships can come directly from a culinary school. The New England Culinary Institute gives away six scholarships to more than 70 New England Culinary students each year. The French Culinary Institute in New York provides four scholarships to its students. Besides attending that school, school-specific scholarships require students to fulfill specific requirements, such as maintaining a minimum grade point average and participating in extracurricular activities.
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References
- Cooking Schools 101: Tuition
- American Culinary Federation: Scholarships
- National Association of College and University Food Services: DeHaven Scholarships
- Careers through Culinary Arts Program: C-CAP Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions
- The Culinary Trust: Online Application
- James Beard Foundation: Scholarship Programs
Resources
- Photo Credit Culinary Plate image by bluefern from Fotolia.com
