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Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region

48 Colleges
$16,507 Avg Salary
$12,253 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Cosmetology Associate Degree School for You

Cosmetology is the most popular major in the United States with 34,706 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 48 schools in the Southeast Region to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Cosmetology program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for cosmetology majors pursuing a associate degree.

Our 2023 rankings named Gadsden State Community College the most popular school in the Southeast Region for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Gadsden, GSCC is a public college with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Gadsden State Community College Report

The in-demand associate degree programs at Shelton State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular cosmetology schools in the Southeast Region . Shelton State Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Tuscaloosa.

Full Cosmetology at Shelton State Community College Report

The in-demand associate degree programs at Northwest-Shoals Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular cosmetology schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the small city of Muscle Shoals, NW-SCC is a public college with a small student population.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Fayetteville Technical Community College is a great place for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, cosmetology majors at FTCC accumulate an average of around $20,615 in student debt.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Fayetteville Technical Community College

The in-demand associate degree programs at Central Piedmont Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular cosmetology schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 94% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Central Piedmont Community College

Wake Technical Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree cosmetology programs. Wake Technical Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Raleigh.

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Central Carolina Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Central Carolina Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Sanford.

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With a ranking of #7, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Perkinston, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 9 students majoring in cosmetology at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Full Cosmetology at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Report

With a ranking of #9, Northeast Alabama Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Rainsville, Northeast is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Northeast Alabama Community College

#10

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Gaston College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Gaston College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Dallas.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Gaston College

Best Cosmetology Colleges by State

Explore the best cosmetology schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 4,283
South Carolina 1,516
Arkansas 1,191
North Carolina 2,549
Florida 10,801
West Virginia 377
Louisiana 3,726
Virginia 1,085
Alabama 821
Kentucky 1,003
Tennessee 2,270
Mississippi 872

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

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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