There's no official ranking of the best culinary schools in the world: QS and the other major university rankings don't publish one for culinary arts. The names that come up again and again are Le Cordon Bleu, the Culinary Institute of America, FERRANDI Paris, Institut Lyfe (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse), the Basque Culinary Center, ALMA and the Swiss schools.
So instead of inventing a top ten, we've listed ten well-known schools in alphabetical order, with facts from their own websites, and then the questions that tell you which one fits. One of them is ours; we've said so where it appears.
Is there an official culinary school ranking?
No. The QS World University Rankings by Subject cover Hospitality & Leisure Management, not culinary arts. Lists that call themselves the "top culinary schools in the world" are editorial choices, often by magazines or agents, and the criteria change from list to list. Use them to discover names, not to decide.
For clarity: BHMS is #12 in the world in the QS ranking for Hospitality & Leisure Management 2026. That's a hospitality ranking, so we never call ourselves a top-12 culinary school.
10 well-known culinary schools around the world
- ALMA, International School of Italian Cuisine · Colorno (Parma), Italy
- Based in the historic Reggia di Colorno in Italy's "Food Valley". Known for intensive Italian programmes: the Italian Culinary Program, the Italian Pastry Program and a pasta programme.
- Basque Culinary Center · San Sebastián, Spain
- In Donostia-San Sebastián since 2011 and linked to Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Offers a university Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts.
- Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland · Le Bouveret and Brig, Switzerland
- Part of Swiss Education Group. One-year Swiss diplomas in culinary and pastry arts, three-year bachelor's degrees in culinary arts and in pastry, bakery and chocolate arts, and a master's in culinary business management.
- The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) · New York, California, Texas, Singapore
- One of the best-known names in the US, with associate, bachelor's and master's degrees and certificate programmes. Its 2026–27 tuition at Hyde Park is $19,755 a semester.
- FERRANDI Paris · Paris and five other French campuses
- Created in 1920 and run by the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Trains from vocational certificates up to master's level, with an international campus in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
- Institut Lyfe (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse) · Écully, near Lyon, France
- A management school for hospitality, food service, culinary arts and pastry at the Château du Vivier, with a bachelor in international culinary arts management.
- Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) · New York and Pasadena (Los Angeles), US
- Career diplomas in culinary arts, pastry and restaurant management, plus associate degrees. The New York Career Culinary Arts diploma runs eight months.
- Johnson & Wales University · Providence, Rhode Island, US
- A private university whose College of Food Innovation & Technology runs culinary and baking degrees inside a full university setting.
- Le Cordon Bleu · Paris and more than 35 institutes in 20 countries
- Founded in Paris in 1895 and the largest network of culinary and hospitality schools in the world, offering certificates, diplomas, bachelor's and master's degrees.
- Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS · Lucerne, Switzerland
- Our school. A three-step ladder from Diploma to Higher Diploma to a dual BA in Culinary Arts with Robert Gordon University (UK), each year six months of study and six months of paid internship, plus an MSc in Culinary Entrepreneurship.
Alphabetical, not ranked. Facts as published by each school, checked 19 October 2026.
How do the big culinary schools differ?
Most well-known schools fall into one of four groups. Knowing which kind you're looking at matters more than the name:
| Model | Examples | Typical length | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short diplomas and certificates | Le Cordon Bleu, ICE, ALMA | Weeks to about a year | Fast, intensive skills; career changers |
| US culinary college degrees | CIA, Johnson & Wales | Two to four years | An associate or bachelor's degree in a campus setting |
| European gastronomy universities | Basque Culinary Center, Institut Lyfe, FERRANDI | Several years, bachelor's level and up | Degrees with a management focus |
| Swiss schools | Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, BHMS | One to three years | Diplomas and degrees in Switzerland; at BHMS each year includes a six-month paid internship |
How to choose the best culinary school for you
- What do you leave with? A certificate, a diploma or a bachelor's degree, and who awards it. A degree matters if you want to move into management or study further.
- How many hours do you actually cook? Ask for logged, assessed kitchen hours, not just "hands-on".
- Are placements built in, and are they paid? This changes both your CV and your budget.
- What does a year cost all-in? Add housing, meals, insurance and knives. Our culinary school cost guide compares US and Swiss prices.
- Which language and which country? Where you train is where your first network will be.
- Is it accredited? Check the accrediting body by name.
Where does the Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS fit?
We're the study-and-work option in Lucerne. Every year is six months in our seven professional kitchens and six months of paid internship, at a gross minimum of CHF 2'390 a month in Switzerland (2027 rate). Each year ends with a qualification: the Diploma, the Higher Diploma, then the BA in Culinary Arts, a dual degree with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Our culinary training is accredited by ACFEFAC and the Institute of Hospitality, and we've been nominated for Europe's Best Culinary Training Institution at the World Culinary Awards in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The first year costs CHF 40'200 (about US$48,600 at the October 2026 rate) with accommodation, meals and insurance included. Pastry is a separate track, covered on our sister site pastrystudyabroad.com. The parent school's own overview is on bhms.ch.
What this means for you
Shortlist three schools that match the model you want, then compare them on the six questions above. If Europe is on your list, our guide to culinary schools in Europe goes country by country. If the Swiss model fits, look at the programmes and apply online.