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2023 Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 960 schools in the United States to see which undergraduate 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.
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 1 to 4 Years in Cosmetology
Our 2023 rankings named Chippewa Valley Technical College the best value school in the United States for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. CVTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
CVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,793 in tuition and fees each year. On average, cosmetology graduates from CVTC take out $10,815 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
In addition to its great value ranking, CVTC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Waukesha County Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCTC are $6,722 per year. Cosmetology majors at WCTC take out an average of $8,974 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
WCTC also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Madison Area Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. Madison College is a large public school located in the large city of Madison.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Madison College are $6,812 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Madison College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johnson County Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. JCCC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.
JCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,472 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at JCCC accumulate an average of around $7,515 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Paul College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Saint Paul College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,318 in tuition and fees each year. On average, cosmetology graduates from Saint Paul College take out $9,702 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
In addition to its great value ranking, Saint Paul College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list.
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Wharton County Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Wharton County Junior College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Wharton.
Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,052 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Wharton County Junior College accumulate an average of around $6,801 in student debt.
Full Cosmetology at Wharton County Junior College Report
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Clarendon College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the remote area of Clarendon, Clarendon College is a public school with a small student population.
Clarendon College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,400 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Clarendon College accumulate an average of around $11,106 in student debt.
Full Cosmetology at Clarendon College Report
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Mid-State Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking. Mid-State is a small public school located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids.
Mid-State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,850 in tuition and fees each year. On average, cosmetology graduates from Mid-State take out $6,206 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mid-State also did well on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Cosmetology at Mid-State Technical College Report
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With a ranking of #9, Gwinnett Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. GTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at GTC are $5,686 a year. The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at GTC take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $12,265.
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South Plains College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Plains College are $4,857 per year. Cosmetology majors at South Plains College take out an average of $12,593 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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Athens Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, Athens Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Athens Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,462 in tuition and fees each year.
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Lake Area Technical Institute landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. LATI is a small public school located in the remote town of Watertown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LATI are $6,718 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, LATI also did well on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Cosmetology at Lake Area Technical Institute Report
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With a ranking of #13, Ridgewater College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ridgewater College also is in the top 20% of our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools ranking.
Full Cosmetology at Ridgewater College Report
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With a ranking of #14, Kansas City Kansas Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Kansas City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kansas City Kansas Community College are $6,244 per year. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Kansas City Kansas Community College carry an average student debtload of $5,046.
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Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking. 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. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from WITC carry an average student debtload of $5,009.
WITC also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Arkansas State University - Newport ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASUN are $4,416 per year. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from ASUN carry an average student debtload of $6,475.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Arkansas State University - Newport
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San Jacinto Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #17 on the list. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year. On average, cosmetology graduates from San Jacinto College take out $9,945 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
Full Cosmetology at San Jacinto Community College Report
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Howard College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Howard County Junior College is a small public school located in the town of Big Spring.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Howard County Junior College are $6,030 a year. Cosmetology majors at Howard County Junior College take out an average of $4,932 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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Wiregrass Georgia Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College are $5,562 per year.
Full Cosmetology at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Report
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West Georgia Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public college 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. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from West Georgia Technical College carry an average student debtload of $8,885.
Full Cosmetology at West Georgia Technical College Report
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Georgia Northwestern Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,512 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Georgia Northwestern Technical College
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Gateway Technical College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Gateway Technical College are $6,917 a year. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Gateway Technical College carry an average student debtload of $7,917.
Gateway Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Gateway Technical College
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Houston Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Houston Community College are $5,460 a year. On average, cosmetology graduates from Houston Community College take out $11,559 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
Full Cosmetology at Houston Community College Report
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Pickens Technical College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Pickens Technical College is a small public school located in the large city of Aurora.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pickens Technical College are $8,830 a year.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Pickens Technical College
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College of the Mainland landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year. While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at COM accumulate an average of around $6,175 in student debt.
Read full report on Cosmetology at College of the Mainland
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States cosmetology schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|
Cosmetology by Region
View the Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate 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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