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Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

12 Colleges
$0 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate School for You

In 2021-2022, cosmetology students earned 685 degrees and certificates from an Iowa school, making the subject the 5th in the state.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.

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 Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Iowa to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for cosmetology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Colleges.

Top 15% Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools

Our analysis found La James International College-Johnston to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. La James International College-Johnston is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Johnston.

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Our 2023 rankings named Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. ISB is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Des Moines.

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Our 2023 rankings named La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the remote town of Mason City, LaJames College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

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Our analysis found La James International College-Ft Dodge to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. La James International College-Ft Dodge is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.

Full Cosmetology at La James International College-Ft Dodge Report

Our analysis found Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. Located in the remote town of Spirit Lake, Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake Report

Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Davenport the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. La James International College-Davenport is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Davenport.

Read full report on Cosmetology at La James International College-Davenport

#1

Aveda Institute - Des Moines

West Des Moines, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Aveda Institute - Des Moines the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Aveda Institute - Des Moines is a small private for-profit school located in the city of West Des Moines.

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#1

Capri College, Davenport

Davenport, IA

Our analysis found Capri College, Davenport to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. Located in the city of Davenport, Capri College, Davenport is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

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Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Cedar Falls the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. La James International College-Cedar Falls is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

Read full report on Cosmetology at La James International College-Cedar Falls

#1

Capri College, Dubuque

Dubuque, IA

Our analysis found Capri College, Dubuque to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. Located in the city of Dubuque, Capri College, Dubuque is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Capri College, Dubuque

#1

PCI Academy-Ames

Ames, IA

Our analysis found PCI Academy-Ames to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. Located in the small city of Ames, PCI Academy-Ames is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Full Cosmetology at PCI Academy-Ames Report

#1

Capri College, Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, IA

Our analysis found Capri College, Cedar Rapids to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Iowa. Located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids, Capri College, Cedar Rapids is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in Iowa award.

Rank College Location

Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,184
Missouri 1,382
Minnesota 1,054
South Dakota 209
North Dakota 203
Nebraska 441

One of 4 majors within the trade school area of study, cosmetology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Cosmetology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Cosmetology/Cosmetologist 50,210
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist 40,040
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist 13,960
Barbering/Barber 9,893
Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist 2,907
Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts 2,184
Master Aesthetician/Esthetician 1,729
Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design 1,238
Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor 1,230
Make-Up Artist/Specialist 440
Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician 354
Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager 336
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing 90

Majors Similar 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 12 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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