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Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region

495 Colleges
$17,014 Avg Salary
$10,880 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate School for You

Cosmetology is the most popular major in the United States with 30,513 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

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 Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 495 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones were the most popular undergraduate certificate 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 Undergraduate Certificate Colleges.

Our analysis found Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Covington to be the most popular school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in the Southeast Region . Located in the small suburb of Covington, Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Covington is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 829 students majoring in cosmetology at Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Covington, 3% are male and 97% are female.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Covington take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $13,619. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $74.

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#2

Aveda Institute - Tallahassee

Tallahassee, FL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aveda Institute - Tallahassee. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Aveda Institute - Tallahassee is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 95% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

Cosmetology majors at Aveda Institute - Tallahassee take out an average of $12,715 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $82, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Aveda Institute - Tallahassee

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Celebrity School of Beauty is a great place for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Celebrity School of Beauty is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Miami.

About 83% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 17% are male.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Celebrity School of Beauty accumulate an average of around $9,720 in student debt.

Full Cosmetology at Celebrity School of Beauty Report

#4

Health and Style Institute

High Point, NC

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Health and Style Institute is a great place for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Health and Style Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the city of High Point.

Of the 205 students majoring in cosmetology at Health and Style Institute, 5% are male and 95% are female.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Health and Style Institute take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $16,347. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $81.

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The in-demand undergraduate certificate programs at Georgia Career Institute 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 large suburb of Conyers, Georgia Career Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 100% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Georgia Career Institute take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $15,125. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $82, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Cosmetology at Georgia Career Institute Report

Aveda Institute - South Florida came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Aveda Institute - South Florida is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Davie.

Of the 183 students majoring in cosmetology at Aveda Institute - South Florida, 10% are male and 90% are female.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Aveda Institute - South Florida accumulate an average of around $12,920 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $56, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Aveda Institute - South Florida

#7

Elaine Sterling Institute

Sandy Springs, GA

Elaine Sterling Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Elaine Sterling Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Sandy Springs.

Women make up 97% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Elaine Sterling Institute accumulate an average of around $17,903 in student debt.

Full Cosmetology at Elaine Sterling Institute Report

Paul Mitchell the School Esani did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Paul Mitchell the School Esani is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Roswell.

Women make up 95% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Paul Mitchell the School Esani take out $16,866 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $88.

Full Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Esani Report

#9

Imagine-Paul Mitchell Partner School

North Little Rock, AR

Imagine-Paul Mitchell Partner School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Imagine-Paul Mitchell Partner School is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of North Little Rock.

About 92% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 8% are male.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Imagine-Paul Mitchell Partner School carry an average student debt load of $15,866. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $79, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Atlanta School of Massage ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Atlanta, Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 162 students majoring in cosmetology at Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics, 1% are male and 99% are female.

Cosmetology majors at Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics take out an average of $20,433 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

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Paul Mitchell the School Gastonia landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Paul Mitchell the School Gastonia is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Gastonia.

Of the 157 students majoring in cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Gastonia, 7% are male and 93% are female.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $96, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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La Belle Beauty Academy ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Miami, La Belle Beauty Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, cosmetology graduates from La Belle Beauty Academy take out $8,374 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

Full Cosmetology at La Belle Beauty Academy Report

#13

Beauty Academy of South Florida

Hialeah Gardens, FL

Beauty Academy of South Florida landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Beauty Academy of South Florida is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Hialeah Gardens.

About 85% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 15% are male.

Cosmetology majors at Beauty Academy of South Florida take out an average of $8,410 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

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#14

Florida Barber Academy

Plantation, FL

Florida Barber Academy ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large suburb of Plantation, Florida Barber Academy is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 51% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

Cosmetology majors at Florida Barber Academy take out an average of $15,773 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Florida Barber Academy

Georgia Institute of Cosmetology ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. GIC is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Athens.

About 96% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 4% are male.

On average, cosmetology graduates from GIC take out $16,232 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $134, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Georgia Institute of Cosmetology

Paul Mitchell the School Tampa landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Tampa, Paul Mitchell the School Tampa is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 83% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

Cosmetology majors at Paul Mitchell the School Tampa take out an average of $13,340 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $87, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #17, Paul Mitchell the School Orlando did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Paul Mitchell the School Orlando is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Oviedo.

Of the 121 students majoring in cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Orlando, 21% are male and 79% are female.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Paul Mitchell the School Orlando take out $13,340 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $87, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Paul Mitchell the School Memphis ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Bartlett, Paul Mitchell the School Memphis is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 95% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Paul Mitchell the School Memphis take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $15,635. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $77, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#18

Daytona State College

Daytona Beach, FL

Daytona State College ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Daytona State College is a large public school located in the small city of Daytona Beach.

About 85% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 15% are male.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology majors at Daytona State College accumulate an average of around $8,234 in student debt.

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The Salon Professional Academy - North Little Rock came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. TSPA - North Little Rock is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the rural area of North Little Rock.

Of the 109 students majoring in cosmetology at TSPA - North Little Rock, 1% are male and 99% are female.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from TSPA - North Little Rock carry an average student debt load of $12,836.

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With a ranking of #21, Paul Mitchell the School Jacksonville did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the large city of Jacksonville, Paul Mitchell the School Jacksonville is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Of the 106 students majoring in cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Jacksonville, 4% are male and 96% are female.

Cosmetology majors at Paul Mitchell the School Jacksonville take out an average of $15,753 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $81.

Full Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Jacksonville Report

Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc 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.

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#23

Futura Career Institute

Hialeah, FL

Futura Career Institute landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate cosmetology programs. Located in the large suburb of Hialeah, Futura Career Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 18% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

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#24

Paul Mitchell the School Charleston

North Charleston, SC

Paul Mitchell the School Charleston did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the city of North Charleston, Paul Mitchell the School Charleston is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 93% of the cosmetology majors at the school.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, cosmetology graduates from Paul Mitchell the School Charleston carry an average student debt load of $16,596. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $75, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell the School Charleston Report

#24

Nouvelle Institute

Miami, FL

With a ranking of #24, Nouvelle Institute did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the city of Miami, Nouvelle Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

About 98% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 2% are male.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Nouvelle Institute take out $8,035 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.

Read More…

#29

Leons Beauty School Inc

Greensboro, NC
#33

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL
#38

Campbellsville University

Campbellsville, KY
#38

Keune Academy by 124

Lawrenceville, GA
#41

Sunstate Academy

Clearwater, FL
#43

Sunstate Academy

Fort Myers, FL
#44

Manatee Technical College

Bradenton, FL
#44

Sheridan Technical College

Hollywood, FL

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Cosmetology Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 495 different Southeast cosmetology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 The Salon Professional Academy - Melbourne Melbourne, FL
50 Blue Cliff College - Metairie Metairie, LA
53 Aveda Institute - Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
53 First Coast Barber Academy Jacksonville, FL
55 Paul Mitchell the School Greenville Greenville, SC
56 Bene’s Career Academy New Port Richey, FL
57 Vanguard College of Cosmetology-Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA
58 Paul Mitchell the School Birmingham Hoover, AL
59 PJ’s College of Cosmetology-Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY
60 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA
60 Paul Mitchell the School Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
60 Paul Mitchell the School Fort Myers Fort Myers, FL
60 Paul Mitchell the School Knoxville Knoxville, TN
64 American Institute of Beauty Largo, FL
65 Tenaj Salon Institute The Villages, FL
66 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Memphis Memphis, TN
66 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Nashville Nashville, TN
68 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
69 Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-North Augusta North Augusta, SC
70 Delta Technical College Horn Lake, MS
70 Orange Technical College - Westside Campus Winter Garden, FL
72 Paul Mitchell the School Huntsville Madison, AL
72 Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Lafayette Lafayette, LA
74 International School of Skin Nailcare & Massage Therapy Atlanta, GA

Honorable Mentions

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 Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
75 Empire Beauty School-Lakeland Lakeland, FL
75 Career Academy of Hair Design Springdale, AR
77 Winston Salem Barber School Winston-Salem, NC
77 Empire Beauty School-Florence Florence, KY
77 Rivertown School of Beauty Barber Skin Care and Nails Columbus, GA
80 Empire Beauty School-Tampa Tampa, FL
80 Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence Florence, SC
80 Hogan Institute of Cosmetology and Esthetics Lilburn, GA
80 Paul Mitchell the School Woodbridge Woodbridge, VA
80 Technical Education Center-Osceola Kissimmee, FL
85 Paul Mitchell the School Miami Miami, FL
85 La Belle Beauty School Hialeah, FL
87 American Academy of Cosmetology Orange Park, FL
87 Florida College of Natural Health-Maitland Maitland, FL
87 Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Atlanta Marietta, GA
87 Paul Mitchell the School Roanoke Roanoke, VA
87 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA
92 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL
92 Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Greenville Greenville, SC
92 Sylvain Melloul International Hair Academy Lynchburg, VA
95 Empire Beauty School-Northlake Atlanta, GA
95 Empire Beauty School-Savannah Savannah, GA
95 New Beginning College of Cosmetology Albertville, AL
98 Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers-Casselberry Casselberry, FL
98 Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Rock Hill Rock Hill, SC

Best Cosmetology Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
South Carolina 1,516
Georgia 4,283
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 46,395
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist 31,569
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist 11,623
Barbering/Barber 8,381
Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist 2,437
Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts 2,278
Master Aesthetician/Esthetician 1,620
Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor 1,382
Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design 1,029
Make-Up Artist/Specialist 566
Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager 291
Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician 253
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing 71

Related Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts 19,784
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

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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