Find Trade Colleges
2023 Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, cosmetology was ranked 4th in North Carolina. In fact, 2,549 were awarded in the state in 2021-2022.
With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in North Carolina to see which basic certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in North Carolina
The following schools top our list of the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Colleges.
Top 10 Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Our analysis found Aveda Institute - Chapel Hill to be the best school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in North Carolina. Aveda Institute - Chapel Hill is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Aveda Institute - Chapel Hill
Out of the 18 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Elevate Salon Institute - Durham landed the # 2 spot on the list. Elevate Salon Institute - Durham is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Elevate Salon Institute - Durham
Out of the 18 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Greenville, Alexander Paul Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design
The excellent basic certificate programs at Health and Style Institute helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in North Carolina. Health and Style Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Greensboro.
Out of the 18 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Carolina Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Sanford, Central Carolina Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Wake Technical Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
Empire Beauty School-Concord did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Empire Beauty School-Concord is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Concord.
Leons Beauty School Inc came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in North Carolina ranking. Leons Beauty School Inc is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Greensboro.
Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Greensboro, Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro Report
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in North Carolina ranking. A-B Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Asheville.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Best Cosmetology Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Cosmetology Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 4,283 |
| South Carolina | 1,516 |
| Arkansas | 1,191 |
| Florida | 10,801 |
| West Virginia | 377 |
| Louisiana | 3,726 |
| Virginia | 1,085 |
| Alabama | 821 |
| Kentucky | 1,003 |
| Tennessee | 2,270 |
| Mississippi | 872 |
Cosmetology Related Rankings by Major
Cosmetology is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.
Cosmetology Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Cosmetology/Cosmetologist | 50,210 |
| Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist | 40,040 |
| Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist | 13,960 |
| Barbering/Barber | 9,893 |
| Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist | 2,907 |
| Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts | 2,184 |
| Master Aesthetician/Esthetician | 1,729 |
| Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design | 1,238 |
| Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor | 1,230 |
| Make-Up Artist/Specialist | 440 |
| Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician | 354 |
| Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager | 336 |
| Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing | 90 |
Majors Similar to Cosmetology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Culinary Arts | 22,075 |
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 2,186 |
| Casino Operations and Services | 385 |
| Other Personal & Culinary Services | 95 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Tiffany Bumgardner.
More about our data sources and methodologies.