Le Cordon Bleu London

Le Cordon Bleu London is the London campus of the French culinary school, offering professional chef and pastry diplomas in six to nine months. It is not a traditional university: the core offer is practical diplomas, while its bachelor’s and master’s degrees are delivered with Birkbeck, University of London.

No kitchen experience is required; what matters is being 18 or over, evidence of English and the budget. The most complete course, the Grand Diplôme, combines cuisine and pâtisserie and costs $65,570 (£49,497).

• Next starts: 8 January, 2 April and 1 October 2027 for the Grand Diplôme, plus a 2 July 2027 intake for the single diplomas.
• Good fit: future fine-dining chefs, founders and career changers.
• Less suitable: students who want a broad academic degree or cannot commit to 32–39 hours of practical training a week.

The school’s diplomas are listed on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and credit-rated by a national body; the Grand Diplôme sits at SCQF level 8 with 136 credits. It is a professional qualification rather than a bachelor’s degree.

Academic degrees come from the programmes run with Birkbeck: the BBA Culinary Industry Management and the MSc Culinary Innovation Management and MSc Hospitality Innovation Management, all awarded by the University of London.

• Grand Diplôme — SCQF level 8, 136 credits
• BBA and MSc — University of London awards via Birkbeck
• Student visa sponsorship for longer programmes

The school is at 15 Bloomsbury Square in central London, near the British Museum. Demonstrations and practical classes run Monday to Saturday, starting at 8:00, 11:30, 15:00 or 18:30, with timetables issued each term.

A typical Grand Diplôme week has about 18 hours of cuisine (three demonstrations and three practicals) and 15 hours of pâtisserie (two demonstrations, two practicals and a lecture), which leaves little room for evening jobs.

Prices below are for international students on 2027 start dates. Diploma fees already include ingredients, uniforms, a knife kit and learning materials.

The Grand Diplôme can be extended with Pâtisserie Innovation, Culinary Management or an industry internship in restaurants, hotels or food businesses. Each add-on lengthens the course and raises the price, so choose the package around your post-course goal.

Diploma applications go directly to the school. Students who need a Student visa are advised to apply four to five months before the start, and visa applications for an intake can close up to ten weeks beforehand.

1. Five months before. Choose the programme and intake and book IELTS for UKVI.
2. Four months before. Apply with passport, test report and education documents.
3. Three months before. Receive confirmation and the CAS, pay as required and apply for the visa.
4. One month before. Arrange housing and travel.

A visa student aiming for 8 January 2027 should be applying now. BBA and MSc applications go through UCAS (codes D690 and D691 for the BBA) or directly to Birkbeck, with one October intake a year.

Common applicant mistakes

• Booking a standard IELTS instead of IELTS for UKVI, which the school requires for Student visa applicants.
• Overlooking compulsory content such as live shellfish, butchery and cooking with alcohol.
• Applying for a Student visa for a six-month intensive course that a visitor visa covers, or the reverse.

Student visa applicants need IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General) at 5.0 or above in every component, or PTE Academic UKVI at 43 or above in each part. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries are exempt, and non-visa students can show a B2 certificate, English-taught study or the school’s placement test.

• Passport valid for the course plus six months
• IELTS for UKVI or PTE Academic UKVI
• Education certificate
• BBA: 96–112 UCAS points and IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 per band
• MSc: bachelor’s degree and IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 per band

A London Student visa requires £1,529 a month for up to nine months. For the nine-month Grand Diplôme that is £13,761 on top of the course fee, plus the £558 visa fee.

The school runs an annual Julia Child Scholarship, currently open only to UK residents, and government career loans no longer exist for these courses, so international students need their own funding plan.

The school does not run university-style halls; its website offers a London accommodation guide. Most students rent rooms in private student residences or flats within one or two changes of Bloomsbury.

With classes from 8:00 and as late as 18:30, the commute matters more than the rent. A cheaper room far out can mean three hours of travel a day, so book housing once the visa is granted but before you fly.

Six-month intensive diplomas in cuisine, pâtisserie or wine can be taken on a Standard Visitor visa without a Student visa. Nine-month programmes, the BBA and the MSc require a sponsored Student visa.

Graduates work in restaurant and hotel kitchens, patisseries and food start-ups; the level of the first job depends on internships and portfolio. The right to stay and work in the UK afterwards is set by immigration rules, not by the school.

To match a programme and intake to your budget and visa situation, send us a request. Other UK options are on study in the UK.

Pounds are converted to dollars at ECB rates for 29 September 2026: £1 ≈ $1.3247 (€1 = $1.1355, €1 = £0.85718).