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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.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Cosmetology
Our analysis found Saint Paul College to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the United States. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Saint Paul College are $6,318 a 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.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chippewa Valley Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. CVTC is a moderately-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.
CVTC also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent basic certificate programs at Lee College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the United States. Lee College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee College are $4,302 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee College also is in the top 20% of our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Athens Technical College is a great value for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the midsize 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.
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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 city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Georgia Northwestern Technical College are $5,512 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.
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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 $6,722 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.
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Wiregrass Georgia Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,562 in tuition and fees each year.
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Ridgewater 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 #8 on the list. 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.
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Kansas City Kansas Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the city of Kansas City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kansas City Kansas Community College are $6,244 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Kansas City Kansas Community 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.
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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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Georgia Technical College are $5,522 a year.
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Oconee Fall Line Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. OFTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Sandersville.
OFTC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,472 in tuition and fees each year.
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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 college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gateway Technical College are $6,917 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.
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Mid-State Technical College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. 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 $6,850 a year.
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Central Georgia Technical College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Warner Robins, CGTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CGTC are $5,482 a year.
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Savannah Technical College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Savannah Tech is a small public school located in the midsize city of Savannah.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Savannah Tech are $5,442 a year.
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With a ranking of #16, Houston Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Houston Community College are $5,460 per year.
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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 school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WITC are $6,624 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WITC also is in the top 10% of our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.
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Ogeechee 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 #18 on the list. Located in the town of Statesboro, Ogeechee Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ogeechee Technical College are $5,540 a year.
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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. DMC is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.
DMC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,990 in tuition and fees each year.
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Southern Crescent Technical College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Griffin, Southern Crescent Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Southern Crescent Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,526 in tuition and fees each year.
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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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Howard County Junior College are $6,030 per year.
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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.
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Georgia Piedmont 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 #23 on the list. Located in the 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.
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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.
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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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FPC are $4,882 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Frank Phillips College
Request InformationRest 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 school 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.
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