Admissions & Aid High School Seniors

Info For:

High School Seniors

Welcome to your new college!

86 the Fee! Apply Free! This March, your application fee is on the house. Don’t miss out.

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It’s Your Time to Shine at CIA. Food is Your Future.

When it comes to learning about food and food business, we can say with complete confidence that CIA is truly the best place to begin your future. It’s our hands-on experiential courses; our expert faculty; our unrivaled global reputation. You’ll get all this and more—only at CIA.

Excited by what you’ve heard so far? Take the first step and apply today. You’re going to love it here!

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Group photo of 8 CIA students in matching green T-shirts.
A high school student applying to the CIA pointing to the CIA t-shirt he's wearing.

Application Process

Your Time Is Now

Fall 2026 Is Filling Fast

You know CIA is the best place to begin your future in food. Now it’s time to make it official. Join our incoming Fall 2026 class before it’s too late.

Apply now and you can:

  • Get a fast, non-binding decision within one week
  • Be automatically considered for CIA scholarships

Take the next step—apply today.

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Application Process

Apply Early Action I for Fall 2026—FREE!

This October, we’ve waived our application fee—there’s no better time to start your journey toward a career you’ll love. Apply Early Action I by October 31 to:

  • Get an early, non-binding admission decision by December 1.
  • Be automatically considered for scholarships.
  • Save some dough and know your future sooner.

Use code APPLY26 on Common App or apply directly through our website—no code needed.

Apply Now

Join Others and Visit CIA!

Excited? Then join other high school seniors and visit CIA! Check out our full list of admissions events, including online open houses and campus tours. And after a few hours, you’ll know this is the college for you.

Visit our YouTube playlist for on-demand videos just for high school students to learn more about CIA’s academics, campus life, financial aid, and more!

Learn Hands-on

It’s the absolute best way! You’ll learn by doing in our kitchens, bakeshops, labs, gardens, restaurants, internships, and study abroad. And in our classrooms, you’ll explore subjects in the way most meaningful to you—through food.

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College Life with a Culinary Twist

Variety is the spice of life when it comes to campus activities. Whatever your passion, you’re sure to find countless opportunities involving food, friends and fun. Get involved in student led clubs, join a sports team or mix things up at our many special events, like the annual chili cookoff and the Run for Your Knives 5K.

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Discover Your Future Calling

The world of food and hospitality has never been more exciting, and CIA is where you’ll explore it all! You’ll definitely discover new career interests, because food is everywhere—in every facet of business, culture, and society. And with the foundation of skills and knowledge you’ll get here, you’ll be prepared for anything you choose to do. Check out what CIA graduates are doing now.

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Tuition and Financial Aid

Supporting your success begins with getting you here. Our financial aid team is ready to help. And the support doesn’t stop once you’re a CIA student—we’ll continue helping you with scholarship resources, tutoring, counseling…whatever you need, whenever you need it.

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Benefits and Opportunities

A CIA student chef wearing a white uniform is carefully plating food in a busy commercial kitchen.

Real-World Experience

Spend a full semester getting hands-on experience in our nine award-winning public service restaurants.

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More Specialized, Hands-on Classes

Two Times the foundational skills and deeper dives into specializations than most colleges.

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A CIA student waiting a table at the CIA student-run Bocuse restaurant on campus.

Built-in, Paid Internship

World-class paid internships at one of 2,000+ CIA-approved organizations.

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A CIA culinary school scholarship recipient holding a check for $1,000, posing with others.

Scholarships

CIA offers generous scholarships—and awarded over $45 million last year alone.

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Group of CIA students with Sting, our bee mascot, in front of the Hudson River at our NY campus.

College Life with a Culinary Twist

Join a diverse, close-knit community where everyone speaks your language—food!

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Two CIA students doing homework together at a desk.

Custom-Fit Education

Choose from programs, electives, and travel experiences that fit your unique interests and goals.

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A food business rep in a suit shakes hands and talks with two CIA students at the CIA Career Fair.

Industry’s Best Career Fair

Nearly 475 food and hospitality companies visited CIA looking to hire in 2023—resulting in over 4,000 reported interviews with highly interested employers.

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CIA student taking a selfie with CIA alumni celebrity chef Amanda Frietag in the cafeteria.

Unrivaled Network

The food world’s most powerful alumni network—50K+ strong—that not only hire CIA grads, but also help make the connections to advance careers.

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Connect with someone now

Chat with a CIA Student

Are you curious about what it’s really like to attend CIA? 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 genuine advice—because they’ve gone through it, too.

Chat Now
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An aerial view of a large campus with multiple buildings surrounded by autumn-colored trees. A wide river runs alongside the campus, and distant mountains are visible in the background under a clear sky.

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?

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Connect with Us

Here’s what happening at CIA…

The Culinary Institute of America

1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, NY 12538

1-800-CULINARY

[email protected]

Contact an Admissions Counselor