Best Culinary Schools in Switzerland [2023]

Many people who have a passion for cooking decide to turn it into a professional career at some point in their life. To do so, it’s crucial to choose the best culinary school.  While there are countless renowned culinary schools worldwide, Switzerland is also quite a hospitality hotspot and has its fair share of reputable culinary schools.

Even though not great in number, the quality and what they have to offer to their students makes up for it. So, without further ado, here are the best culinary schools in Switzerland.

Disclaim: The following list of higher education institutions does not represent a ranking.

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

This culinary school has three campuses—in sunny Brig, historic Lucerne, and lakeside in Le Bouveret. Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland (CAAS) offers a contemporary educational experience. CAAS is equipped with state-of-the-art kitchens and has professional partnerships with multiple industry pioneers.

Students undoubtedly benefit from those established relationships, as they provide them with internship opportunities during their studies. The collaborations include Ritz Paris Hotel, Mane (creator of food flavors and fragrances), and vegetarian restaurant chain, tibits. These partnerships also contribute to creating academic programs and specializations, guest lectures, providing case studies and assignments, and host visits to provide students additional insights into real-life operations.

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is one of the world’s finest culinary schools—the only one ranked in the QS World University Rankings. The school is certified by the Worldchefs Global Education Network, EduQua, and The-ICE (The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education).

CAAS Admission Requirements

Students are eligible to apply if you are over 18 years old, have completed their secondary school education, and their TOEFL IBT score is 55 or IELTS 5.5.

CAAS Tuition Fees

The Bachelor program costs about CHF 152,000 for three years, the Master program CHF 44,000, the two Swiss Grand Diploma programs CHF 62,000, and the Vegetarian Diploma program, CHF 42,000. The price includes tuition, accommodation, and meals.

B.H.M.S – Culinary Arts School

Business and Hotel Management School is one of the leading hospitality schools in the world. With its location in Lucerne’s vibrant and lively city, it’s an educational opportunity not to be missed. B.H.M.S is an educational institution that earned its accreditation from multiple agencies.

B.H.M.S’s Culinary Arts Diploma, Higher Diploma, and BA Degree programs are accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEF). The institution is also certified by eduQua, an agency that certifies Swiss colleges and institutions.

B.H.M.S Admission Requirements

B.H.M.S is open to all those who want to join this culinary school. Students will have to fulfill different requirements for particular programs and study levels here. However, the entry-level requirements are to be no younger than 17, with a minimum of 11 years of secondary education, and English proficiency at IELTS 5.0 or equivalent. In case you haven’t taken any of the standardized English tests, you can still test your English at one of the websites with which B.H.M.S has partnered.

B.H.M.S Tuition Fees

When it comes to tuition fees, they are paid yearly. Course fees are going to cost you CHF 24,100. With each academic year that passes, a sum of CH 1000 is added to the tuition fee. For the application fee, you have to pay CHF 500. If you take into account accommodation, meals, operating expenses, the first academic year will cost you in total CHF 32.500.

ICI – International Culinary Institute

International Culinary Arts School is a branch of the renowned International Management Institute (IMI). It’s based on the heart of the charming Lucerne. ICI offers students programs that will reward them from Certificates to BA Degrees.

Together with its parent school IMI, the ICI branch has been certified by some of the most prominent agencies and educational institutes such as Oxford Brookes University, EduQua, and by British Accreditation Council (BAC).

ICI Admission Requirements

The only admission requirement of this culinary school is English language competence. The entry IELTS requirement is 4.5. The lucky students who will get admitted will get to be interns in some of the finest kitchens in Switzerland and Europe.

ICI Tuition Fees

If you include the housing and the meals, in total, your education at ICI will cost you CHF 31,850.

Swiss Education Academy – Swiss Culinary Club

Swiss Education Academy is part of an alliance of private hospitality management schools and a proud member of the Swiss Education group. It has five schools spread around Switzerland on six campuses. The Swiss Culinary Club is one of the schools organized in the form of a summer camp with a location on the shores of Lake Geneva in Le Bouveret.

The Swiss Culinary Club summer camp is aimed at 16 to 20 years olds who want to take the initial step in the culinary world. It provides its students with state-of-the-art teaching facilities and kitchens. During your stay in Le Bouveret, you’ll get familiar with different European cuisine types, from Swiss cuisine to French, Spanish, and Italian cuisine.

Swiss Culinary Club Admission Requirements

There are no requirements for prospective students. The classes are taught in English, so It would be in your best interest to have a decent level of English competence so that you’ll have no problems in following the culinary courses.

Swiss Culinary Club Tuition Fees

ICI requires its students to pay an application fee of CHF 110 initially. If you’re planning on taking a sibling there, there is no need to spend two application fees. You’ll be charged only once for the same family members. On the other hand, tuition fees vary according to the time you decide to spend on the summer camp. The whole course lasts four weeks. One week in the teaching facilities in Le Bouveret will cost you CHF 1600. For each additional week, you decide to stay there; you’ll pay twice the price.

One-Day Cookery Courses

If a degree in culinary arts is not what you’re looking for, you can always sign up for one-day cooking classes. You can choose from three of these classes: La Cuisine, HILTL Akademie, and Chuchi Art. In those classes, you learn to cook different dishes, from vegetarian dishes to those of different ethnicities. The course fee depends on which cuisine you choose to learn about.

There you go! Now you got what you’ve been waiting for. You got on your hands the list of the top Swiss culinary schools. We hope you’ll use it when making a final decision. One thing that’s left to say is good luck to all you talented future chefs!