International Students

Food is Your Passport

Your Global Destination for a Career in Food

For 75 years the Culinary Institute of America has poured their energy, passion, and industry knowledge into providing the best food and hospitality-focused education. Here food is life, and everyone is 100% focused on preparing students for a rewarding life in food. Only at CIA will students get the immersive learning and industry connections they need to lead in the kitchen, hotel operations, or anywhere else they want to go in food or hospitality.

CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degree programs that span all areas of the food world—from culinary arts and baking and pastry arts to hospitality, food business and wine and beverage management. CIA’s prestigious study programs are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education who also accredit courses for other top U.S. colleges and universities, including Columbia, Cornell, and Vassar. This mark of excellence is testament to the quality, proven outcomes and success rates of CIA’s programs.

A male chef wearing a white chef's coat and black-rimmed glasses speaks in a restaurant setting. Embroidered on his coat are his name and a title with the initials "BPS." The background shows a dining area with tables set with red napkins. Text on the image reads "JEHAN LUTH, India.

Here’s a sample of what students find, only at CIA:

Build a hands-on foundation with 1,300+ hours in state-of-the-art kitchens and bakeshops

Gain real-world experience in CIA’s award-winning, nine student-run, public-service restaurants

Get a world-class, paid internship at one of 2,000+ CIA approved organizations

Experience college life with a culinary twist—join a diverse community of students and instructors from around the world, united in a shared passion for food

Teaching Quality

CIA’s instructors include acclaimed master chefs, top food industry executives, world-famous restaurateurs, published authors, master sommeliers, and more. CIA faculty come from all over the world and have worked and won awards in every area of food and higher education.

CIA keeps class sizes small to give students the opportunity to get the individual attention they need and to connect with their world-class teachers and fellow students. Degree students spend over 1,300 hours in CIA kitchens and bakeshops learning techniques and perfecting their skills in hands-on sessions. Students also have the opportunity to tailor their learning to their individual interests and career aspirations. Traditional subjects such as science, history, and psychology come alive at CIA and take on a new meaning when studied in the context of food.

Ask students what they like best about CIA. One of the repeated answers is “the chefs and professors,” who they call “inspiring” and “amazing”—and who so clearly love what they do.

A chef in a white uniform and tall hat demonstrates a cooking technique with a frying pan to a group of culinary students, also in white uniforms and tall hats, in a professional kitchen setting. The students attentively watch.

Student Support

The core of everything at CIA is student success and wellbeing. Knowing that starting college away from home can be overwhelming, CIA has created a program that supports students from their very first day on campus until their last—CIA Cares. CIA Cares is a one-stop communication tool where instructors, career and academic advisors and other support network members work directly with students to ensure they receive the best guidance and support throughout their time at CIA. Students will always have someone readily available to answer any questions and help guide important decisions. It’s the CIA way.

With CIA Cares, a student can:

  • Easily reach out to any support network team member to ask a question or schedule an appointment
  • Access information about student services, like career and academic advising, dining services, counseling, financial aid, registration, and more
  • Schedule a tutoring appointment with a professional or peer tutor who specializes in the course they need assistance with
  • View grades and attendance records
  • Respond to and act on referrals that help them achieve their goals
  • Receive instructor recognition for outstanding performance, achievements, leadership, or goal progress
Aerial view of a large campus with multiple buildings surrounded by trees in autumn colors. The campus is bordered by a wide river on one side, with rolling hills visible in the distance under a clear sky.

Student Safety

While college can feel like a big adjustment, becoming a CIA student is a rewarding and exciting experience. CIA offers students a wonderful place to live and learn thanks to its dedicated support teams, including CIA Campus Safety, and the welcoming campus community.

At CIA, safety officers maintain a 24-hour presence on campus, and every day students can see them interacting on campus and keeping watch over campus grounds. CIA is also protected with CCTV (closed-circuit television) monitoring, electronic card access to the residence halls, and restricted nighttime entrance to campus. Students can use one of the many blue-light emergency phones on campus to report a problem or simply to request a friendly escort from Campus Safety to walk them back to their residence hall.

Graduate Outcomes

In the world of food and hospitality, the college that top industry leaders know and respect is CIA. That’s a career advantage that CIA graduates carry with them for life. A degree from CIA is highly attractive and many top industry employers look to hire CIA graduates before any others—they’re the best of the best.

CIA graduates include master chefs and bakers, restaurant owners and entrepreneurs, hotel and hospitality leaders and senior executives for major food corporations. They drive transformative change in every segment of food and hospitality and in every corner of the world—as will CIA’s future graduates.

CIA alumni are incredibly proud of their education, which is why they highly recommend their alma mater to so many new students and hire so many CIA graduates. When a student earns a degree from CIA, they join the food world’s most powerful alumni network of 50,000+ industry leaders and changemakers. That means they already have thousands of top professional connections on the day they graduate.

Benefits and Opportunities

A waiter, wearing a white shirt, black tie, and dark apron, is holding a plate and a small container while smiling at diners. Various people are seated at tables in the restaurant. A decorative rooster is displayed in the background on a shelf.
A chef in a professional kitchen garnishes a plated dish while smiling. Other chefs, also in white uniforms and hats, are focused on their tasks in the background. The kitchen workspace is well-lit and equipped with modern stainless steel appliances and counters.
A chef in a white uniform is cooking in a professional kitchen. He is holding a frying pan over a blue gas flame, with a small fire rising from the pan. The background features white tile walls and stainless steel appliances.
Three smiling women, likely admitted students, are posing outdoors, wearing t-shirts from the Culinary Institute of America. One makes a heart symbol with her hands. A lake and trees are in the background. Other people are seen mingling in the distance.
Two women wearing white chef jackets are smiling and engaging with plants in a garden. They are surrounded by lush greenery and red foliage, with a building in the background. The atmosphere is bright and sunny.
A woman with glasses sits behind a table displaying an open book and vibrant flowers in a warmly lit room. She is engaged in conversation with another woman standing across from her. Various booths and attendees are visible in the background.
The culinary institute of america famous alumni leadership image
A woman with curly hair and wearing an orange sweater is sitting at a glass table, smiling while writing in a notebook. She is looking at an open laptop and holding a pen. There is a small plant on the table, and the background is a bright, modern room.
Chat with a International Student Ambassador
A group of eleven diverse students smiling and hugging a large bee mascot dressed in a yellow and black costume with "CIA" on its chest. They are standing on an outdoor terrace with a river and green hills in the background.

CIA Campuses

Be part of a vibrant campus and close-knit community, where everyone speaks your language—food.

Discover all that CIA has to offer beyond the classroom with our full array of athletics, activities, student services, and delicious dining options. From open mic nights and interactive student groups to off-campus adventures and friendly campus cook-offs, we have countless ways to get involved and meet new people. Did we mention every dorm has a full-sized kitchen?

Also in this section

Events, Visits, and Resources

There’s no better way to see what CIA has to offer international students than to visit one of our campuses—and we’re now bringing CIA experience to the comfort of your home. 

Why Study at CIA?

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.

Student Life

At CIA, you’ll find all the ingredients you need to create a college experience that’s uniquely yours—guided by your passions, your interests, and your imagination.

Meet the Admissions Team

The CIA Admissions Team is excited to work with you during this important time of your life.

How to Apply

Take hold of your future. If food is your passion, get the best hands-on education here at CIA—whether your aspiration is to be a chef, entrepreneur, hospitality leader, or food innovator.

Contact Us

Yamelli Hernandez
International Admissions Counselor
Yamelli.Hernandez@culinary.edu
845-451-1568

Specializes in South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Middle East (excluding Saudi Arabia).

Contact Yamelli for assistance in Spanish.

Amanda Stevens
Assistant Director—International Admissions
Amanda.Stevens@culinary.edu
845-451-1566

Specializes in East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, and Saudi Arabia.

Contact Amanda if you are an agent or international recruitment vendor, or if you would like to schedule a promotional presentation.

Contact Us

Amanda Stevens

Assistant Director—International Admissions


Specializes in East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, and Saudi Arabia.

Contact Amanda if you are an agent or international recruitment vendor, or if you would like to schedule a promotional presentation.