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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.
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 large public school located in the large suburb of Norwalk.
Cerritos College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,364 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent basic certificate programs at Citrus College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in California. Citrus College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Glendora.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Citrus College are $1,198 per year.
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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 college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Riverside City College are $1,420 per year.
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Out of the 79 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Golden West College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the 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.
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Out of the 79 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego City College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego City College are $1,144 per year.
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Los Angeles Trade Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public school with a large student population.
Los Angeles Trade Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Coachella Valley Beauty College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of La Quinta, CV Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Lyle’s College of Beauty came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Lyle's College of Beauty is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Fresno.
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Career Academy of Beauty came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Garden Grove, Career Academy of Beauty is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Lyle’s College of Beauty ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Lyle's College of Beauty is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Bakersfield.
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International School of Beauty Inc came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Palm Desert, International School of Beauty is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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Federico Beauty Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, Federico Beauty Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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With a ranking of #7, Bellus Academy - El Cajon did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Bellus Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of El Cajon.
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Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Fairfield landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Fairfield is a small private for-profit school located in the small suburb of Vacaville.
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Coastline 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. Coastline Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Fountain Valley.
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Milan Institute-Clovis landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Clovis, Milan Institute-Clovis is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Bellus Academy - National City came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Chula Vista, Bellus Academy is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Hinton Barber and Beauty College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the midsize city of Vallejo, Hinton Barber and Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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Sierra College of Beauty ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Sierra Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Merced.
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Paul Mitchell the School Modesto ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of Modesto, Paul Mitchell the School Modesto is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Cinta Aveda Institute landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Cinta Aveda Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Milan Institute-Bakersfield landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Milan Institute-Bakersfield is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Bakersfield.
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American Beauty College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of West Covina, American Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc 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 city of San Francisco, SFIEC is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology 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. Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Hanford.
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Request InformationBest Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Cosmetology Colleges 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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