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2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California
Finding the Best Cosmetology 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 134 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular programs 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 Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Cosmetology Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Cosmetology Schools
Our analysis found Advance Beauty College to be the most popular school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Garden Grove, Advance Beauty College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Asian-American International Beauty College is a great place for cosmetology students. Asian-American International Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Westminster.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellus Academy - Poway. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California list. Bellus Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Poway.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Paul Mitchell the School Sacramento. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, Paul Mitchell the School Sacramento is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Milan Institute-Clovis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California 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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With a ranking of #6, Federico Beauty Institute did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, Federico Beauty Institute is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Bellus Academy - National City ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Chula Vista, Bellus Academy is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Paul Mitchell the School Costa Mesa landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Paul Mitchell the School Costa Mesa is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Costa Mesa.
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Paul Mitchell the School Modesto landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, Paul Mitchell the School Modesto is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Coastline Beauty College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Coastline Beauty College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Fountain Valley.
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My Le’s Beauty College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #11 on the list. My Le's Beauty College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Sacramento.
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Paul Mitchell the School Temecula landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Paul Mitchell the School Temecula is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Temecula.
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Bellus Academy - El Cajon ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California list. Bellus Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of El Cajon.
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Cinta Aveda Institute ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Francisco, Cinta Aveda Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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Career Academy of Beauty landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. 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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Salon Success Academy - Upland landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Salon Success Academy - Upland is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Upland.
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Salon Success Academy - Corona came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Corona, Salon Success Academy - Corona is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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California College of Barbering and Cosmetology landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular cosmetology programs. Located in the city of Stockton, CAL CBC is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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Citrus College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California ranking. Citrus College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Glendora.
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Lu Ross Academy came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in California ranking. Lu Ross Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Ventura.
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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 Trade Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Salon Success Academy - Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| 22 | Cosmo Beauty Academy | Sacramento, CA |
| 23 | Milan Institute-Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA |
| 24 | Paul Mitchell the School Pasadena | Pasadena, CA |
| 25 | School Removed | |
| 26 | International College of Cosmetology | Oakland, 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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