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Best Value Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

7 Colleges
$8,594 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$16,507 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Cosmetology Associate Degree School for You

Cosmetology is the most popular major in the United States with 34,706 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in the Southeast Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for cosmetology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Best Southeast Region Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Cosmetology

Our 2023 rankings named Central Piedmont Community College the best value school in the Southeast Region for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Piedmont Community College are $8,936 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Central Piedmont Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list.

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The excellent associate degree programs at Central Carolina Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the Southeast Region . Central Carolina Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Sanford.

Central Carolina Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,698 in tuition and fees each year.

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The excellent associate degree programs at Wake Technical Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the Southeast Region . Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wake Technical Community College are $8,912 per year.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is a great value for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Asheville, A-B Tech is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

A-B Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $8,976 in tuition and fees each year. Cosmetology majors at A-B Tech take out an average of $14,650 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Fayetteville Technical Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FTCC are $8,708 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, cosmetology graduates from FTCC carry an average student debtload of $20,615.

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#6

Robeson Community College

Lumberton, NC

With a ranking of #6, Robeson Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Robeson Community College is a small public school located in the town of Lumberton.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Robeson Community College are $8,707 per year.

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Southwestern Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of Sylva, Southwestern Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southwestern Community College are $7,221 a year.

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Best Cosmetology Colleges by State

Explore the best cosmetology schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
South Carolina 1,516
Georgia 4,283
Arkansas 1,191
North Carolina 2,549
Florida 10,801
West Virginia 377
Louisiana 3,726
Virginia 1,085
Alabama 821
Kentucky 1,003
Tennessee 2,270
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 7 schools only.

  • 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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