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2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California
Finding the Best Cosmetology Basic Certificate School for You
In 2021-2022, cosmetology students earned 10,294 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 106 schools in California to see which basic certificate 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.
2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools in California
Check out the cosmetology basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.
Top 15% Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Schools
Our analysis found Advance Beauty College to be the most popular school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. Located in the suburb of Garden Grove, Advance Beauty College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Women make up 92% of the cosmetology majors at the school.
Full Cosmetology at Advance Beauty College Report
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Out of the 106 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Asian-American International Beauty College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Asian-American International Beauty College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Westminster.
About 83% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 17% are male.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Paul Mitchell the School Sacramento. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, Paul Mitchell the School Sacramento is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
About 99% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 1% are male.
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Out of the 106 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Milan Institute-Clovis landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Clovis, Milan Institute-Clovis is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coastline Beauty College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Coastline Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Fountain Valley.
Women make up 90% of the cosmetology majors at the school.
Full Cosmetology at Coastline Beauty College Report
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My Le’s Beauty College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. My Le's Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.
Of the 198 students majoring in cosmetology at My Le's Beauty College, 24% are male and 76% are female.
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Bellus Academy - Poway came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Bellus Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Poway.
Full Cosmetology at Bellus Academy - Poway Report
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Federico Beauty Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, Federico Beauty Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
About 98% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 2% are male.
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Career Academy of Beauty came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Garden Grove, Career Academy of Beauty is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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Paul Mitchell the School Modesto did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Modesto, Paul Mitchell the School Modesto is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
About 99% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 1% are male.
Full Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Modesto Report
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Salon Success Academy - Upland landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate cosmetology programs. Salon Success Academy - Upland is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Upland.
Of the 160 students majoring in cosmetology at Salon Success Academy - Upland, 1% are male and 99% are female.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Salon Success Academy - Upland
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Bellus Academy - National City ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Chula Vista, Bellus Academy is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
About 93% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 7% are male.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Bellus Academy - National City
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Cosmo Beauty Academy ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, CBA is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Full Cosmetology at Cosmo Beauty Academy Report
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With a ranking of #14, Salon Success Academy - Corona did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the midsize city of Corona, Salon Success Academy - Corona is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Of the 151 students majoring in cosmetology at Salon Success Academy - Corona, 1% are male and 99% are female.
Full Cosmetology at Salon Success Academy - Corona Report
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California College of Barbering and Cosmetology came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Stockton, CAL CBC is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
About 99% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 1% are male.
Full Cosmetology at California College of Barbering and Cosmetology Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Cosmetology Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | International College of Cosmetology | Oakland, CA |
| 16 | Salon Success Academy - Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| 18 | Cinta Aveda Institute | San Francisco, CA |
| 19 | Paul Mitchell the School Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 20 | Alhambra Beauty College | Alhambra, CA |
| 21 | Palace Beauty College | Los Angeles, CA |
Best Cosmetology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular Cosmetology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,041 |
| Oregon | 1,020 |
| Nevada | 1,575 |
| Hawaii | 183 |
Cosmetology Related Majors
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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