2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate School for You
In 2021-2022, cosmetology students earned 10,294 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
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 in California ranking. This report analyzed 79 schools in California 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 California
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 California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Cosmetology
Our 2023 rankings named Cerritos College the best value school in California for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Norwalk.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cerritos College are $1,364 per year.
Out of the 79 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Citrus College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Citrus College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Glendora.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Citrus College are $1,198 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Riverside City College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Golden West College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach, Golden West College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Golden West College are $1,190 a year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means San Diego City College is a great value for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego City College is a public college with a large student population.
San Diego City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,144 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Los Angeles Trade 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 #6 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Los Angeles Trade Technical College are $1,238 per year.
With a ranking of #7, Lyle’s College of Beauty did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Lyle's College of Beauty is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Bakersfield.
Lyle’s College of Beauty landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Lyle's College of Beauty is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Fresno.
With a ranking of #7, Career Academy of Beauty did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of Garden Grove, Career Academy of Beauty is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Coachella Valley Beauty 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 #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of La Quinta, CV Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
With a ranking of #7, International School of Beauty Inc did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small city of Palm Desert, International School of Beauty is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Full Cosmetology at International School of Beauty Inc Report
Federico Beauty Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, Federico Beauty Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Federico Beauty Institute
Bellus Academy - El Cajon landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Bellus Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of El Cajon.
Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Fairfield ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Fairfield is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Vacaville.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Fairfield
Coastline Beauty College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Coastline Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Fountain Valley.
Milan Institute-Clovis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Clovis, Milan Institute-Clovis is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
With a ranking of #7, Bellus Academy - National City did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Chula Vista, Bellus Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Bellus Academy - National City
With a ranking of #7, Hinton Barber and Beauty College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the midsize city of Vallejo, Hinton Barber and Beauty College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Hinton Barber and Beauty College
Sierra College of Beauty landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Sierra Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Merced.
Paul Mitchell the School Modesto did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, Paul Mitchell the School Modesto is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Cinta Aveda Institute landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the city of San Francisco, Cinta Aveda Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Milan Institute-Bakersfield did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Milan Institute-Bakersfield is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Bakersfield.
With a ranking of #7, American Beauty College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of West Covina, American Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
With a ranking of #7, San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFIEC is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Full Cosmetology at San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc Report
Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Hanford.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology
Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Cosmetology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,041 |
| Oregon | 1,020 |
| Nevada | 1,575 |
| Hawaii | 183 |
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 79 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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