The world's premier culinary college, training food leaders since 1946.
CIA offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees across multiple disciplines including Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts, Food Business, Culinary Science, Food Studies and Sustainability, and Hospitality Management. All associate and bachelor's programs require a 15-week externship at a CIA-approved foodservice operation. The college introduced master's-level education in 2018 with programs in Food Business, Wine and Beverage Management, Sustainable Food Systems, Culinary Arts, and Culinary Therapeutics (announced 2025). Programs are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The Hyde Park campus features four public student-run restaurants: American Bounty, Bocuse, Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, and Apple Pie Bakery Café. Students participate in intercollegiate athletics (affiliated with Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference since 2004), intramural sports, and club activities. The campus includes residence halls with full-sized kitchens, a recreation center, Conrad N. Hilton Library, and specialized facilities for baking, pastry, and culinary instruction. Branch campuses in California and Texas operate additional restaurants and educational facilities.
Undergraduate admission is characterized as 'not selective' by College Board. In Fall 2022, CIA received 1,887 applications with a 95% acceptance rate. The college admits all students on a need-blind basis. Average high school GPA was 3.0; 68% of undergraduates lived on campus. Approximately 18% of students were from New York and 12% were international. The Princeton Review gave CIA an admissions selectivity rating of 75 out of 99 (April 2024).
As of 2017, 88% of graduates were offered full-time employment within six months with an average starting salary of $33,754 per year. The average need-based financial aid was $13,950, with 100% of students with demonstrated need receiving aid (64% of student body). Average loan debt per graduate was $51,200. Tuition as of July 2016 was $14,315 per semester ($28,630 per year) for associate and bachelor's degrees; total first-semester cost including board and fees was approximately $17,200.