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Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee

26 Colleges
$16,002 Avg Salary
$9,370 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Cosmetology School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, cosmetology was ranked 2nd in Tennessee. In fact, 2,270 were awarded in the state in 2021-2022.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 26 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best programs for trade school students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Cosmetology Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Cosmetology Colleges.

Top 10 Best Cosmetology Schools

#1

Image Maker Beauty Institute

Hendersonville, TN

Our analysis found Image Maker Beauty Institute to be the best school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the large suburb of Hendersonville, Image Maker Beauty Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Read More…

#2

Gould's Academy

Memphis, TN

The excellent programs at Gould’s Academy helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in Tennessee. Gould's Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Memphis.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Gould’s Academy

#3

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The excellent programs at helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in Tennessee. Located in the of <nil>, <nil> is a school with a student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at

The excellent programs at The Salon Professional Academy - Nashville helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in Tennessee. TSPA - Nashville is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

Read full report on Cosmetology at The Salon Professional Academy - Nashville

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Paul Mitchell the School Memphis is a great place for cosmetology students. Paul Mitchell the School Memphis is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Memphis.

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Empire Beauty School-E Memphis landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best cosmetology programs. Located in the large city of Memphis, Empire Beauty School-E Memphis is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-E Memphis

Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro

Empire Beauty School-Jackson did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #8 on the list. Empire Beauty School-Jackson is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Jackson.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-Jackson

#10

Franklin Academy

Cleveland, TN

Franklin Academy ranked #10 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee list. Franklin Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.

Full Cosmetology at Franklin Academy Report

Best Cosmetology Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Cosmetology Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 4,283
South Carolina 1,516
Arkansas 1,191
North Carolina 2,549
Florida 10,801
West Virginia 377
Louisiana 3,726
Virginia 1,085
Alabama 821
Kentucky 1,003
Mississippi 872

One of 4 majors within the trade school area of study, cosmetology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Cosmetology Focus Areas

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

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 25 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.

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