Why Study at CIA?

Top 10 Reasons To Be #OnlyAtCIA

When it comes to learning about food and hospitality, we can say with complete confidence that the Culinary Institute of America is truly the best place to begin your future. Check out our Top 10 Reasons to be #onlyatcia for yourself. We think you’ll agree, at CIA it all adds up.

1. The CIA Advantage

No one is more qualified to educate you about the world of food than CIA, the world’s premier culinary college. For over 75 years, CIA has elevated the culinary profession through its education and training. We’re the college that industry leaders know and respect.

2. Hands-on Learning

CIA students spend a full semester getting real-world, front- and back-of-house experience in our nine award-winning public-service restaurants. That means feeling the intensity and thrill of working in a professional kitchen and mastering the art and skills behind superior service. That’s real-world, hands-on experience you won’t find anywhere else.

3. A Custom-fit Education

At CIA, travel the globe experiencing different foods and cultures and focus your education on exactly what you want to do for your career. Take a deep dive into a specific concentration or culinary region that interests you, learn from experts in the field, and get ready to expand your world and food view!

4. Learn From the Best

One of the reasons why CIA is the world’s best culinary college is because our faculty are top industry pros. They literally wrote the book on culinary education—The Professional Chef. Other colleges teach from it, but the experts are here. CIA instructors include acclaimed master chefs and bakers, top food industry executives, successful restaurateurs, published authors, wine experts, forward-thinking nutritionists, and more.

6. Built-in, Paid Internship

Some colleges charge a full semesters tuition for internship experience—not CIA. At CIA, you’ll choose an internship experience from over 2,000+ world-class food and hospitality businesses—the largest list of available food industry sites in the country—and they’ll pay you. During your résumé-building internship, expect to interact with professionals, build your industry network, and join the action of a real work environment.

7. College Life With a Culinary Twist

Join a diverse, close-knit community where everyone speaks your language—food! Variety is the spice of life when it comes to campus activities and at CIA, that couldn’t be truer. There’s always something to catch your interest, sharpen your competitive skills, and expand your network of friends—all while providing a lot of food-centric fun along the way!

8. We’ve Got Your Back

If you’re committed to making the best investment for your future at CIA, we’re committed to helping you get here! More than 90% of students receive scholarships and financial aid packages—unique to their individual needs. In fact, over $40 million in student scholarships was awarded last year alone.

9. Unrivaled Network

Join the food world’s most powerful alumni network of industry leaders and changemakers—50,000+ strong—that not only hire CIA grads, but also help each other make the connections necessary to advance careers.

10. We Do Food and Only Food

Our singular focus on food and your success in the food industry is what makes CIA stand out from other institutions. Here we’re not distracted by a host of unrelated degrees and majors, so we can pour all our energy, passion, and industry smarts into providing you with the best food-focused education. And that’s exactly what we do—it’s the difference you’ll find only at CIA.

Expect all this and more—#onlyatcia!
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Are you curious about what it’s really like to be a CIA student? We’ve got you covered. Our students are ready to answer the questions you haven’t asked anyone else, share their own personal experiences, and give you expert and genuine advice—because they’ve gone through it, too. Find out what it means to be part of the CIA family. Connect with someone now or see more students here!

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