If one were to ask what institution of higher learning was co-founded by an attorney and aimed at training returning World War II veterans, the popular guess probably would not be the Culinary Institute of America. Nonetheless, that is indeed the back story of the acclaimed academy.
In 1946, Connecticut attorney Frances Roth teamed up with Katherine Angell, the wife of the then-president of Yale University, to establish a school that they hoped to make
| Overall Score (about) | 75.1 |
| Total Cost On-Campus Attendance | $48,180 |
| Admission Success rate | N/A |
| Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty | 21 : 1 |
| Retention (full-time / part-time) | 77% / N/A |
| Enrollment Total (all students) | 2,990 |
Today, the three-person faculty has grown into a campus-wide staff of 140 instructors and chefs from 16 nations across the globe. The main campus at Hyde Park encompasses five public restaurants, 41 kitchens and bakeries, and a culinary library overshadowed only by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, CIA now hosts more than 2,800 students from nearly every state and 30 countries. In 1993, bachelor’s degree programs in culinary arts management and baking and pastry arts management joined its existing curriculum of associate degrees in those areas.
Continuing education courses and tuition-free e-learning courses are held for professionals who want to brush up on their skills or get some fresh ideas. The Greystone campus in the Napa Valley features the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies where students can enroll in the school’s Accelerated Wine and Beverage Certificate Program., and the San Antonio campus offers studies in Latin American cuisine.
The Latin American cuisine studies program got a boost in 2007 when Christopher Goldsbury of PACE Picante Sauce donated $35 million dollars to the Culinary Institute. The school used seven million dollars of the gift to expand the Center for the Foods of the Americas and five million dollars to build a center for Latin American cuisine at the main campus. The rest of the money was earmarked for scholarships.
In fact, the school often expands its curriculum to keep up with the ever-evolving flavors of global cuisine. It has divided its world cuisine curriculum into distinct regions, including the Americas, Asia, and the Mediterranean. Its award-winning American Bounty Restaurant course, which focused on American regional cooking, began in 1982. The Caterina de’ Medici Restaurant course began in 1984, and the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine was later opened.
Meanwhile, attempts to remain health-conscious prompted the school to join the Harvard School of Public Health in presenting the first Worlds of Healthy Flavors Conference in 2004.
Applicants need a high school diploma or a GED and at least one recommendation, depending on the program to which they are applying. There is no minimum grade-point average required, but all degree applicants to the Greystone and San Antonio campuses must pass math and writing assessment exams through COMPASS or provide alternative test scores.
Six months of hands-on preparation of fresh food, for at least 10 to 15 hours per week, at a professional kitchen or bakery is also required. This experience is not necessary to apply for admission but must be met before applicants can begin attending the academy. The requirement can be fulfilled by working in a kitchen, but volunteer work, apprenticeships, catering, and high school culinary programs also count toward the requirement. Once accepted, students may be asked to take placement tests to determine the first schedule of courses.
Students may transfer in if they have completed applicable course work from an accredited college or university with at least a
The Financial Aid Office provides aid to the vast majority of its students, with freshmen receiving more than $25 million annually in grants, loans, scholarships, and work study funding in recent years.
A student’s first step in receiving financial aid is filling out the FAFSA form, which determines whether the student is eligible for federal funding such as Pell Grants. State aid like the Tuition Assistance Program, New York’s largest grant program, is also available. TAP provides financial aid for New York state residents who are attending in-state postsecondary institutions.
The school offers merit-based scholarships such as the SAT/ACT Achievement Scholarship and the Cream of the Crop Scholarship, and other monetary awards may be won from external sources like the Culinary Trust or the James Beard Foundation.
Additionally, student loans are a common alternative for financially strapped college hopefuls. Students who have questions concerning their financial needs should contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Most students on the main campus live on-campus in one of the school’s four residence halls or six lodges. Hudson Hall is the largest residence hall, with about 400 students, mainly freshmen. Others include Katherine Angell Hall, Pick-Herndon Hall, and Jacob Rosenthal Hall. The co-ed lodges are named for spices: Cayenne, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Juniper, and Nutmeg halls.
Students can find plenty to do at the Hyde Park location, with on-campus activities like casino nights and standup comedy concerts. Students can also enjoy trips to nearby New York City to take in some of that metropolis’s many cultural or sporting events or fine dining experiences.
For those interested in fitness and athletics, there are ski trips and excursions to whitewater rafting or rock climbing adventures. The Hyde Park campus offers a recreation center with a gym, weight room, track, and six-lane swimming pool. Yoga, zumba, and spinning classes are held, and the school sponsors intramural sports such as basketball, softball, and flag football.
Clubs are centered largely around culinary interests, but there are organizations geared toward diversity and fellowship, and there is a student newspaper, La Papillote.
In 2004, the school began truly competing in intercollegiate sports. The Steels, named for a chef’s most-utilized tool
Numerous successful chefs and culinary entrepreneurs are counted among the alumni. Some of the school’s noted graduates include Steve Ellis, owner of the Chipotle restaurant chain; Tom Gumpel, who owns the Panera Bread chain; and celebrity chefs such as Food Network faces Michael Symon, Cat Cora, Duff Goldman, and Anne Burrell.
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