Cosmetology is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #226 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
College Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Cosmetology Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 124,611 degrees in cosmetology to qualified students.
The cosmetology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Cosmetology rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for cosmetology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Cosmetology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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Best Schools for Cosmetology in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the cosmetology degree levels they offer.
Central Carolina Community College is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in cosmetology. Central Carolina Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the distant town of Sanford. This college ranks 44th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 48 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Central Carolina Community College in the most recent data year. Those cosmetology students who get their degree from Central Carolina Community College make $6,801 more than the standard cosmetology graduate.
Johnson County Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in cosmetology. JCCC is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park. A Best Colleges rank of #347 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JCCC is a great college overall.
There were about 52 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at JCCC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the cosmetology major at Johnson County Community College make $3,950 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
San Jacinto Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in cosmetology. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 31st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were roughly 273 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at San Jacinto College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, cosmetology degree recipients generally earn about $15,655 in their early careers.
Clover Park Technical College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in cosmetology. Located in the small city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #596 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CPTC is a great college overall.
There were roughly 46 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at CPTC in the most recent year we have data available. Cosmetology degree recipients from Clover Park Technical College receive an earnings boost of about $2,089 above the typical earnings of cosmetology majors.
Houston Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #474 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Houston Community College is a great college overall.
There were about 102 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Houston Community College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, cosmetology degree recipients generally make an average of $16,493 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #572 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Central Piedmont Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 34 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent data year.
Golden West College is a large public college located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #373 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Golden West College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 55 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Golden West College in the most recent data year.
Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 28th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 24 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Ridgewater College in the most recent year we have data available. Those cosmetology students who get their degree from Ridgewater College make $4,274 more than the standard cosmetology student.
Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose City College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 123rd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 95 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at San Jose City College in the most recent data year. Cosmetology degree recipients from San Jose City College earn a boost of about $5,953 over the typical earnings of cosmetology majors.
Located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 42nd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 58 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at FTCC in the most recent year we have data available.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
The cosmetology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Cosmetology rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for cosmetology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
