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Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

101 Colleges
$19,906 Avg Salary
$9,377 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Cosmetology 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.

With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 101 schools in the Plains States Region 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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Cosmetology Colleges.

#1

Aveda Institute - Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN

Our 2023 rankings named Aveda Institute - Minneapolis the most popular school in the Plains States Region for cosmetology students. Aveda Institute - Minneapolis is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Academy of Hair Design - Springfield is a great place for cosmetology students. Academy of Hair Design - Springfield is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Academy of Hair Design - Springfield

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grabber School of Hair Design. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Grabber School of Hair Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of St. Louis.

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#4

Crave Beauty Academy

Wichita, KS

The excellent programs at Crave Beauty Academy helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in the Plains States Region . Crave Beauty Academy is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Wichita.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Crave Beauty Academy

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Paul Mitchell the School Springfield is a great place for cosmetology students. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Paul Mitchell the School Springfield is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #6, Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Located in the city of Omaha, Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics Report

#7

Eric Fisher Academy

Wichita, KS

Eric Fisher Academy did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Wichita, Eric Fisher Academy is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Eric Fisher Academy Report

#8

Aveda Institute - Des Moines

West Des Moines, IA

With a ranking of #8, Aveda Institute - Des Moines did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Located in the small city of West Des Moines, Aveda Institute - Des Moines is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Aveda Institute - Des Moines Report

With a ranking of #9, Nova Academy of Cosmetology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Nova Academy of Cosmetology is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Nova Academy of Cosmetology Report

With a ranking of #10, Xenon International Academy-Omaha did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Located in the city of Omaha, Xenon International School of hair Design is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Cosmetology at Xenon International Academy-Omaha Report

#11

Bellus Academy

Manhattan, KS

With a ranking of #11, Bellus Academy did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. Bellus Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Manhattan.

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Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of WOODBURY.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus

House of Heavilin Beauty College-Blue Springs did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #13 on the list. House of Heavilin Beauty College-Blue Springs is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Blue Springs.

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#14

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

Saint Paul College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Cosmetology at Saint Paul College Report

With a ranking of #15, The Salon Professional Academy - Fargo did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students. TSPA - Fargo is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.

Full Cosmetology at The Salon Professional Academy - Fargo Report

Additional 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 Trade Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
16 Z Hair Academy Overland Park, KS
16 The Salon Professional Academy - St Charles St. Charles, MO
18 Stewart School Sioux Falls, SD
19 Model College of Hair Design Saint Cloud, MN
20 Empire Beauty School-Bloomington Bloomington, MN

Best Cosmetology Colleges by State

Explore the best cosmetology colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,184
Missouri 1,382
Minnesota 1,054
South Dakota 209
Iowa 685
North Dakota 203
Nebraska 441

Cosmetology is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Cosmetology Concentrations

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 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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