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Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$0 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$17,041 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate 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.

The Best Value Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 16 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value undergraduate certificate programs for cosmetology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

Top 15% Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Schools

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

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from La James International College-Ft Dodge carry an average student debtload of $12,598.

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#1

Aveda Institute - Des Moines

West Des Moines, IA

Our analysis found Aveda Institute - Des Moines to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Aveda Institute - Des Moines is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of West Des Moines.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Aveda Institute - Des Moines carry an average student debtload of $10,013. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $109, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#1

E Q School of Hair Design

Council Bluffs, IA

Our analysis found E Q School of Hair Design to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. EQ School is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Council Bluffs.

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Our analysis found Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. ISB is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.

On average, cosmetology graduates from ISB take out $8,667 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

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Our analysis found La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Located in the town of Mason City, LaJames College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

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#1

Capri College, Dubuque

Dubuque, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Capri College, Dubuque the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Capri College, Dubuque is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Capri College, Dubuque carry an average student debtload of $9,226. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $74, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#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 undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Capri College, Cedar Rapids is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Capri College, Cedar Rapids carry an average student debtload of $9,226. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $64, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Our analysis found The Salon Professional Academy to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, TSPA - Cedar Falls is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

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Our analysis found La James International College-Cedar Falls to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. La James International College-Cedar Falls is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

Cosmetology majors at La James International College-Cedar Falls take out an average of $11,713 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

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#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 undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Located in the small city of Ames, PCI Academy-Ames is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at PCI Academy-Ames take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $8,417. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $102, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Johnston the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. La James International College-Johnston is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Johnston.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at La James International College-Johnston accumulate an average of around $7,768 in student debt.

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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 undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, Capri College, Davenport is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Capri College, Davenport take out $8,927 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

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

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake accumulate an average of around $11,182 in student debt.

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

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at La James International College-Davenport accumulate an average of around $9,117 in student debt.

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#1

American Hair Academy

Mt. Pleasant, IA

Our 2023 rankings named American Hair Academy the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. American Hair Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Mt. Pleasant.

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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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa award.

Rank College Location

Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Cosmetology Schools 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 16 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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