Career Training Path › Culinary & pastry schools › Puerto Rico
Culinary & pastry schools in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has 21 accredited campuses awarding culinary credentials. If you finish and work as a chef in Puerto Rico, expect to start around $23,730–$26,580 and reach a median of $30,800 with experience; the top quarter earn $47,840 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Puerto Rico). Graduates of these Puerto Rico programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $12,530 in their first year, against $24,208 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What chefs and head cooks earn in Puerto Rico
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 770 employed in Puerto Rico. National median: $62,470.
Campuses in Puerto Rico, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AguadillaAreciboArroyoBarranquitasBayamonCaguasCarolinaFajardoHato ReyManatiMayaguezMerceditaPonceSan Juan
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NUC University | Bayamon | for-profit | 869 | $21,880 | $8,584 | not reported | not reported |
| Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus | Carolina | non-profit | 34 | $20,271 | $8,950 | not reported | not reported |
| Escuela Hotelera de San Juan | Hato Rey | for-profit | 156 | $13,844 | $3,500 | 85% | not reported |
| ICPR Junior College | Manati | for-profit | 51 | $12,530 | not reported | 61% | not reported |
| ICPR Junior College-Mayaguez | Mayaguez | for-profit | 43 | $12,530 | not reported | 67% | not reported |
| ICPR Junior College-Arecibo | Arecibo | for-profit | 35 | $12,530 | not reported | 60% | not reported |
| ICPR Junior College | Hato Rey | for-profit | 29 | $12,530 | not reported | 51% | not reported |
| Academia Serrant Inc | Ponce | for-profit | 35 | $10,408 | not reported | 88% | $14,395 |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce | Mercedita | non-profit | 48 | $9,365 | $3,500 | not reported | not reported |
| IVAEM College | Caguas | for-profit | 114 | not reported | not reported | 83% | $15,897 |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla | Aguadilla | non-profit | 50 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Barranquitas | Barranquitas | non-profit | 25 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Metro | San Juan | non-profit | 21 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon | Bayamon | non-profit | 20 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo | Fajardo | non-profit | 20 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liceo de Arte y Tecnologia | San Juan | for-profit | 14 | not reported | not reported | 63% | not reported |
| Huertas College | Caguas | for-profit | 11 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez | Mayaguez | non-profit | 9 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Colegio Mayor de Tecnologia Inc | Arroyo | for-profit | 6 | not reported | not reported | 79% | $12,550 |
| Universal Technology College of Puerto Rico | Aguadilla | non-profit | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $11,249 |
| Puerto Rico Advance Institute | Bayamon | non-profit | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.