Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & DesignPrivate (for-profit)

Culinary Institute Inc

Houston, Texas·Private for-profit, 2-year·Southwest·culinaryinstitute.edu
6-yr Graduation
100%
Total enrollment
316
peer median 181
Avg net price
$26,470
+$2.4k vs Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
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About

Culinary Institute Lenotre is a culinary school located in Houston, Texas, that offers programs in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality management. It occupies 38,000 square feet with facilities including kitchens, pastry labs, and a tasting auditorium. The institute emphasizes the study of traditional French cuisine and its evolution over the centuries.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
100%
Full-time retention
33%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 3 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
3
Passing
1
33.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

3programs
  • Passing1 · 33.3%
  • No Data2 · 66.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
2

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
+24.2%
$41,359 vs $33,298

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

2
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
64%
$26,648 debt · $41,359 earn
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Personal And Culinary Services
35%
$12,197 debt · $34,608 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

Accredited since 2002Next review Nov 2027

Action history · 4

  1. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
  2. Jun 2022Warning or Equivalent-Factors Affecting Academic Quality
    Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
  3. Jan 2022Warning or Equivalent-Factors Affecting Academic Quality
    Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
  4. Sep 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$26,106
$30–48k$29,019
$48–75k
$75–110k
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$26,470
+$2,434vs Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design median $24,037
Federal loans
69.1%
In-state tuition
$18,539
Out-of-state
$18,539

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 287 students received $1.6M in Pell grants, alongside $2.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
287
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.6M
$1,643,659 total
Direct Loans
$2.2M
443 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$823K
200 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.0M
209 loan awards
Parent PLUS$331K
34 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 168 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
168
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.3%
2017
20.0%
2018
14.3%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Culinary Institute Inc

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs3
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

119 total completions
01Personal/Culinary
119100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
316
12-mo unduplicated
453
Undergraduate
453
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
44%200
Women
56%253

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
38.6%
Black
32.0%
White
24.6%
Asian
3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.9%
Two or more
0.6%
Unknown
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 343 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    17.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    14

    Culinary Institute Inc vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Culinary Institute Inc selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectCulinary Institute Inc
    100%316$26,470Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Austin
    305$20,738Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder
    8,504$12,193Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Delta College of Arts & Technology
    326$19,590Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Douglas Education Center
    178$26,922Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    FINE Mortuary College
    76.5%185Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Jna Institute of Culinary Arts
    15$16,679Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts
    68.2%70$24,148Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Louisiana Culinary Institute
    37.5%77$29,765Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    MediaTech Institute-Dallas
    217$18,860Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    MediaTech Institute-Houston
    62$16,906Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Miami Media School
    100.0%28$30,528Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts
    42.8%251$39,413Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    San Francisco Film School
    127$31,029Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Theatre of Arts
    100.0%10Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Worsham College of Mortuary Science
    92.0%183$23,925Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Peer group median100%76.5%181$24,037

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about Culinary Institute Inc

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Culinary Institute Inc.

    What is the graduation rate at Culinary Institute Inc?

    Culinary Institute Inc reports a 6-year graduation rate of 100% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Culinary Institute Inc?

    Culinary Institute Inc reports a total enrollment of 316 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Culinary Institute Inc?

    The average net price at Culinary Institute Inc is $26,470 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Culinary Institute Inc located?

    Culinary Institute Inc is located in Houston, Texas 77022-4322.

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