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UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 1,199 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$26,547 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$26,547Median year-4 earnings
$16,967Average institution net-price context
$9,833Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$26,547Typical earnings four years after completion
$22,485Average earnings five years after completion
$9,833Typical federal student debt
4thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
58,648Degrees awarded in 2024–25
1,149College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1,032 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

How much do Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $26,547 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $9,833. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $22,170 to $30,100 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$26,547
Federal debt
$9,833
Programs in the comparison
1,199
1,149 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$23,086
Federal debt
$10,802
Programs in the comparison
13
11 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$18,558
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$28,855
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$21,356
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$28,549
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$22,170National median$26,54775th percentile$30,100
1,149 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$30,10075th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$9,833Median federal debt across programs that report it
124Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle

$43,507 four years after completionSeattle, WA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Johnson County Community College

$5,424 among completer borrowersOverland Park, KS · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Paul Mitchell the School-Esani

242 reported awards in 2024–25Roswell, GA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$40,423Observed year-4 earnings$36,696
$4,271Annual college-wide average net price$23,787
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle$43,5072Hair Academy School of Barbering & Beauty$41,2973Warrensburg Area Career Center$40,4234Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Minneapolis$39,5705San Jose City College$39,0396Aveda Institute-Denver$39,0297Madison Area Technical College$39,0228Saint Paul College$38,8559Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics$38,76910Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline$38,683

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists$35,790 median wage305,710 jobs nationwide+7.7% projected growth through 2035 · 73,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$27,040–$71,190 typical wage rangeSkincare Specialists$45,330 median wage72,890 jobs nationwide+8.8% projected growth through 2035 · 14,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$29,580–$82,050 typical wage rangeBarbers$38,210 median wage15,000 jobs nationwide+3.3% projected growth through 2035 · 6,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$28,600–$76,460 typical wage rangeMakeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance$97,150 median wage2,340 jobs nationwide+6.1% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$23,360–$167,470 typical wage rangeManicurists and Pedicurists$35,760 median wage152,770 jobs nationwide+9.2% projected growth through 2035 · 21,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$28,920–$50,140 typical wage rangePersonal Service Managers, All Other$69,770 median wage10,450 jobs nationwide+6.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$44,910–$118,710 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers$48,590 median wage114,110 jobs nationwide+6.3% projected growth through 2035 · 12,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$34,010–$75,330 typical wage rangeShampooers$32,600 median wage8,070 jobs nationwide+5.6% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$23,110–$38,240 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Culinary Arts and Related Services

Year-4 earnings
$33,155
Federal debt
$11,834
99 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science

Year-4 earnings
$56,401
Federal debt
$23,668
4 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

TX104 programs$24,276 average earningsCA92 programs$24,398 average earningsFL81 programs$24,833 average earningsIL48 programs$27,481 average earningsPA47 programs$27,617 average earningsNY37 programs$27,289 average earningsTN35 programs$25,425 average earningsGA34 programs$24,182 average earningsOH33 programs$24,416 average earningsMI30 programs$25,011 average earningsNC29 programs$26,648 average earningsLA24 programs$22,851 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.