2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate School for You
In 2020-2021, 107,895 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.
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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 school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,041 per year.
Saint Paul 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.
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 small city of Eau Claire.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CVTC are $6,683 a 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.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Chippewa Valley Technical College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lee College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.
Lee College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,302 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Lee College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Athens Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the United States. Located in the medium-sized 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.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a great value for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small 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 $5,462 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.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Waukesha County Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. 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 $6,603 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WCTC also is in the top 20% of our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the small suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College are $5,552 a 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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $5,914 per year.
Kansas City Kansas Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the city of Kansas City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kansas City Kansas Community College are $6,510 a 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
West Georgia Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Georgia Technical College are $5,452 per year.
Oconee Fall Line Technical College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. OFTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Sandersville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at OFTC are $5,472 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Oconee Fall Line Technical College
Gateway Technical College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gateway Technical College are $6,803 per 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.
Mid-State Technical College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Mid-State is a small public school located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Mid-State are $6,351 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Mid-State Technical College
With a ranking of #14, Central 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 city of Warner Robins, CGTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CGTC are $5,442 per 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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Savannah Tech are $5,442 a year.
Houston Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Houston Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,460 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Houston Community College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the rural area of Shell Lake, WITC is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WITC are $6,960 a year.
WITC 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 Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Ogeechee Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the town of Statesboro, Ogeechee Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ogeechee Technical College are $5,540 per year.
With a ranking of #19, Del Mar College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMC are $5,930 a year.
Southern Crescent Technical College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Southern Crescent Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Griffin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern Crescent Technical College are $5,526 a year.
With a ranking of #21, Howard College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Howard County Junior College is a small public school located in the distant town of Big Spring.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Howard County Junior College are $5,430 per year.
Pickens 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 #22 on the list. Pickens Technical College is a small public school located in the large city of Aurora.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pickens Technical College are $8,830 per year.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Clarkston, Georgia Piedmont Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Georgia Piedmont Technical College are $5,578 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Augusta Technical College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Augusta, Augusta Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Augusta Technical College are $5,632 per year.
Frank Phillips College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the distant town of Borger, FPC is a public college with a small student population.
FPC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,388 in tuition and fees each year.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the colleges 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 |
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Cosmetology by Region
View the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Cosmetology Rankings
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 | 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.
- 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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