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2023 Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools
Finding the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate School for You
In 2021-2022, 124,611 degrees and certificates were awarded to cosmetology students, making the major the most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. This report analyzed 960 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best undergraduate certificate programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for cosmetology majors pursuing a undergraduate certificate.
Top 25 Top Trade Schools for an Award Taking 1 to 4 Years in Cosmetology
Our 2023 rankings named Medspa Academies the best school in the United States for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the suburb of South Jordan, National Institute of Medical Aesthetics is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Cosmetology majors at National Institute of Medical Aesthetics take out an average of $9,624 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett is a great place for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Everett.
While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett accumulate an average of around $8,374 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $100, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Hastings Beauty School. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. Hastings Beauty School is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Hastings.
Cosmetology majors at Hastings Beauty School take out an average of $11,805 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Hair Academy. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. The Hair Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Bismarck.
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With a ranking of #6, San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFIEC is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Cosmetology majors at SFIEC take out an average of $9,528 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $106.
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With a ranking of #7, O’Briens Aveda Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. O'Briens Aveda Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Williston.
Cosmetology majors at O'Briens Aveda Institute take out an average of $8,467 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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With a ranking of #8, Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Woburn, Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, cosmetology graduates from Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics take out $5,796 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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Gary Manuel Aveda Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Seattle, GMAI is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Shoreline.
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Aveda Institute - Denver ranked #11 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. Aveda Institute - Denver is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Denver.
Cosmetology majors at Aveda Institute - Denver take out an average of $10,441 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $89, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #12, Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the large city of Omaha, Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Cosmetology majors at Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics take out an average of $7,742 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $79, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The Salon Professional Academy - Fargo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. TSPA - Fargo is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.
The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at TSPA - Fargo take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $13,299.
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Arrojo Cosmetology School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, NA Enterprises LLC d is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from NA Enterprises LLC d carry an average student debtload of $7,959. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $124, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The Salon Professional Academy - Onalaska did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. TSPA - Onalaska is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Onalaska.
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With a ranking of #16, Nova Academy of Cosmetology did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Nova Academy of Cosmetology is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, cosmetology graduates from Nova Academy of Cosmetology take out $8,088 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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J D Academy of Salon and Spa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #17 on the list. J D Academy of Salon and Spa is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Danville.
The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at J D Academy of Salon and Spa take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $7,824. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $92, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Acaydia School of Aesthetics ranked #18 on this year’s Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Provo, Acaydia School of Aesthetics is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Acaydia School of Aesthetics take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $8,128.
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With a ranking of #19, The Temple Annapolis - A Paul Mitchell Partner School did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Annapolis, The TEMPLE Annapolis is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from The TEMPLE Annapolis carry an average student debtload of $12,400. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $127.
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The Temple - A Paul Mitchell Partner School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #20 on the list. The TEMPLE Frederick is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Frederick.
Cosmetology majors at The TEMPLE Frederick take out an average of $12,400 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $127.
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Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of WOODBURY.
After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus carry an average student debtload of $9,508. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $75, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The Institute of Beauty and Wellness came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. The Institute of Beauty and Wellness is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.
After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from The Institute of Beauty and Wellness carry an average student debtload of $8,467. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $110, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Aveda Fredric’s Institute - Indianapolis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Carmel, Aveda Fredric's Institute - Indianapolis is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Aveda Fredric's Institute - Indianapolis carry an average student debtload of $9,287. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $126.
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With a ranking of #24, Paul Mitchell the School St Louis did quite well on this year’s best schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Paul Mitchell the School St Louis is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of St. Louis.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $139, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Aveda Institute - Madison came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Aveda Institute - Madison is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.
Cosmetology majors at Aveda Institute - Madison take out an average of $8,467 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $110, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States cosmetology schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Cosmetology students that almost earned our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools award.
Cosmetology by Region
View the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Other U.S. Territories |
| Great Lakes |
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related 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 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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