2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 114 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. 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 Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for cosmetology majors pursuing a basic certificate.
Top 25 Best Great Lakes Region Schools for Affordable Quality for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Cosmetology
Our 2023 rankings named Chippewa Valley Technical College the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CVTC are $6,793 per year.
CVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Chippewa Valley Technical College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Waukesha County Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
WCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,722 in tuition and fees each year.
WCTC also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Waukesha County Technical College
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gateway Technical College is a great value for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Gateway Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,917 in tuition and fees each year.
Gateway Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mid-State Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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 $6,850 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Mid-State Technical College
The excellent basic certificate programs at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value cosmetology schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the rural area of Shell Lake, WITC is a public college with a small student population.
WITC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,624 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, WITC also did well on our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Fox Valley Technical College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Appleton, FVTC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FVTC are $6,977 a year.
FVTC also took the #5 spot in our Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region rankings.
Milwaukee Area 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 #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MATC are $7,018 a year.
With a ranking of #8, Northern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the remote town of Marquette, Northern Michigan University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Michigan University are $18,570 per year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Northern Michigan University
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman 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. Harry S Truman College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harry S Truman College are $14,430 per year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College
G Skin & 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 #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Oakbrook, Naperville Skin Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
With a ranking of #10, Paul Mitchell the School Farmington Hills did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Paul Mitchell the School Farmington Hills is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Farmington Hills.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Farmington Hills
With a ranking of #10, Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Rockford did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Tricoci RFD is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rockford.
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Peoria did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Tricoci PEO is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.
Full Cosmetology at Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Peoria Report
With a ranking of #10, Debutantes School of Cosmetology and Nail Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Debutantes School of Cosmetology and Nail Technology is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Debutantes School of Cosmetology and Nail Technology
Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Sterling, Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Full Cosmetology at Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling Report
Summit Salon Academy - Anderson did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Summit Salon Academy Anderson is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Anderson.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Summit Salon Academy - Anderson
Michigan College of Beauty-Troy landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate cosmetology programs. Michigan College of Beauty-Troy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Troy.
Paul Mitchell the School Lombard came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Lombard, Paul Mitchell the School Lombard is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
With a ranking of #10, Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the suburb of Indianapolis, Tricoci INE is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Full Cosmetology at Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis Report
Paul Mitchell the School Michigan ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Sterling Heights, Paul Mitchell the School Michigan is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Paul Mitchell the School Grand Rapids came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Paul Mitchell the School Grand Rapids is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Kentwood.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Grand Rapids
Aveda Institute - Madison came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Aveda Institute - Madison is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Madison.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Aveda Institute - Madison
University of Aesthetics & 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 #10 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology
With a ranking of #10, Twin City Beauty College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Twin City Beauty College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Joseph.
With a ranking of #10, PJ’s College of Cosmetology-Clarksville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the suburb of Clarksville, PJ's College of Cosmetology-Clarksville is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Best Cosmetology Colleges by State
Explore the best cosmetology colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,766 |
| Indiana | 1,897 |
| Wisconsin | 1,320 |
| Ohio | 3,404 |
| Illinois | 3,922 |
Cosmetology Related Majors for Cosmetology
Cosmetology is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.
Cosmetology Concentrations
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 114 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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