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Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee

26 Colleges
$15,846 Avg Salary
$11,267 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 2020-2021.

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 suburb of Hendersonville, Image Maker Beauty Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Image Maker Beauty Institute Report

#2

Gould's Academy

Memphis, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gould’s Academy. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee list. Gould's Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Memphis.

Read More…

#3

Gould'S-Academy

Bartlett, TN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Gould’S-Academy. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the suburb of Bartlett, <nil> is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Gould’S-Academy Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Salon Professional Academy - Nashville. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee list. TSPA - Nashville is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Paul Mitchell the School Memphis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Bartlett, Paul Mitchell the School Memphis is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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Empire Beauty School-E Memphis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Memphis, Empire Beauty School-E Memphis is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Murfreesboro

Empire Beauty School-Jackson came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee ranking. 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

Empire Beauty School-S Memphis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #9 on the list. Empire Beauty School-S Memphis is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Memphis.

Full Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-S Memphis Report

#10

Franklin Academy

Cleveland, TN

Franklin Academy came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Trade Schools in Tennessee ranking. Franklin Academy is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small 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
South Carolina 1,516
Georgia 4,283
Arkansas 1,191
North Carolina 2,549
Florida 10,801
Virginia 1,085
Louisiana 3,726
West Virginia 377
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 46,395
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist 31,569
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist 11,623
Barbering/Barber 8,381
Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist 2,437
Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts 2,278
Master Aesthetician/Esthetician 1,620
Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor 1,382
Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design 1,029
Make-Up Artist/Specialist 566
Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager 291
Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician 253
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing 71

Related Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts 19,784
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

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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