2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 720 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for cosmetology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the United States
Check out the cosmetology basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Cosmetology
Our 2023 rankings named Saint Paul College the best value school in the United States for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,318 per year.
Saint Paul College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chippewa Valley Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
CVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,793 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, CVTC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
Out of the 720 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Lee College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Baytown.
Lee College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,302 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Lee College also did well on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Out of the 720 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Athens Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Athens, Athens Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Athens Technical College are $5,462 a year.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Georgia Northwestern Technical College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the United States. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,512 in tuition and fees each year.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
With a ranking of #6, Waukesha County Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCTC are $6,722 per year.
WCTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
Full Cosmetology at Waukesha County Technical College Report
With a ranking of #7, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,562 in tuition and fees each year.
Ridgewater College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ridgewater College are $6,114 a year.
Kansas City Kansas Community College 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. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Kansas City.
Kansas City Kansas Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,244 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Kansas City Kansas Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Kansas City Kansas Community College
With a ranking of #10, West Georgia Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
West Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,522 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #11, Oconee Fall Line Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. OFTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Sandersville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OFTC are $5,472 per year.
Gateway Technical College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Gateway Technical College are $6,917 a year.
Gateway Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Gateway Technical College
Mid-State Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Mid-State is a small public school located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids.
Mid-State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,850 in tuition and fees each year.
Central Georgia Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the small city of Warner Robins, CGTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
CGTC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,482 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Central Georgia Technical College
Savannah Technical College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Savannah Tech is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Savannah.
Savannah Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $5,442 in tuition and fees each year.
Houston Community College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Houston Community College are $5,460 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Houston Community College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the rural area of Shell Lake, WITC is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WITC are $6,624 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, WITC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
Full Cosmetology at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Report
Ogeechee Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the distant town of Statesboro, Ogeechee Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Ogeechee Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,540 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Ogeechee Technical College
Del Mar College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. DMC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMC are $5,990 a year.
Southern Crescent Technical College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Griffin, Southern Crescent Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southern Crescent Technical College are $5,526 per year.
Howard College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Howard County Junior College is a small public school located in the town of Big Spring.
Howard County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,030 in tuition and fees each year.
Pickens Technical College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Pickens Technical College is a fairly small public school located in the city of Aurora.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pickens Technical College are $8,830 a year.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the large suburb of Clarkston, Georgia Piedmont Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College are $5,558 per year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Augusta Technical College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Augusta Technical College are $5,662 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Augusta Technical College
Frank Phillips College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the town of Borger, FPC is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FPC are $4,882 per year.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 720 different United States cosmetology schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Cosmetology students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|
Cosmetology by Region
View the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate 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 Majors for Cosmetology
Cosmetology is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.
Cosmetology Concentrations
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.
- 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.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
TradeCollege.org provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. TradeCollege.org is a for-profit site, and the displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TradeCollege.org – All Rights Reserved.