Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services programs in North Carolina
105 schools in North Carolina teach this, at certificate or associate level. 31 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $24,421 at Central Piedmont Community College.
What this work pays in North Carolina
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists in North Carolina earn a median of $38,410 a year across 8,490 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers | $45,400 | 3,510 |
| Skincare Specialists | $39,120 | 2,680 |
| Manicurists and Pedicurists | $34,740 | 1,900 |
| Barbers | $31,050 | 330 |
| Personal Service Managers, All Other | $73,990 | 240 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Associate's degree | — | $24,421 (17 grads) | 17 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Associate's degree | — | $23,456 (20 grads) | — |
| Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill | Undergraduate certificate | $6,333 | $23,026 (166 grads) | 173 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh Raleigh | Undergraduate certificate | $11,175 | $22,554 (89 grads) | 74 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $21,781 (14 grads) | 44 |
| Vance-Granville Community College Henderson | Undergraduate certificate | — | $18,771 (18 grads) | 13 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | — | $18,087 (38 grads) | 106 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Charlotte Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | $15,541 | $17,481 (221 grads) | 137 |
| Empire Beauty School-Concord Concord | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $17,251 (1,019 grads) | 51 |
| Empire Beauty School-Pineville Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $17,251 (1,019 grads) | 30 |
| Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology Mooresville | Undergraduate certificate | $11,904 | $17,033 (39 grads) | 27 |
| Cleveland Community College Shelby | Undergraduate certificate | — | $16,663 (20 grads) | 72 |
| Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $16,663 (21 grads) | 23 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Fayetteville Fayetteville | Undergraduate certificate | $10,564 | $16,657 (489 grads) | 83 |
| Empire Beauty School-Charlotte Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | $10,667 | $16,649 (1,200 grads) | 26 |
| Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro Greensboro | Undergraduate certificate | $13,583 | $16,527 (1,029 grads) | 38 |
| Empire Beauty School-Winston-Salem Winston-Salem | Undergraduate certificate | $12,000 | $16,510 (1,061 grads) | 11 |
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Associate's degree | — | $16,478 (13 grads) | 26 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury | Undergraduate certificate | — | $16,169 (16 grads) | 91 |
| Edgecombe Community College Tarboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | $15,552 (17 grads) | 36 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Associate's degree | — | $15,182 (24 grads) | 6 |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Associate's degree | — | $15,182 (15 grads) | 9 |
| Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design Greenville | Undergraduate certificate | $8,750 | $15,090 (23 grads) | 31 |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Undergraduate certificate | — | $14,935 (12 grads) | 17 |
| Catawba Valley Community College Hickory | Undergraduate certificate | — | $14,627 (12 grads) | 20 |
| Carteret Community College Morehead City | Undergraduate certificate | — | $13,702 (14 grads) | 35 |
| Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $13,085 (26 grads) | 31 |
| Robeson Community College Lumberton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $12,221 (12 grads) | 30 |
| Central Carolina Community College Sanford | Undergraduate certificate | — | $11,851 (17 grads) | 45 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson | Undergraduate certificate | — | $11,434 (11 grads) | 21 |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $8,846 (22 grads) | 24 |
| Beyond Measure Barbering Institute Mebane | Undergraduate certificate | $14,733 | not published | 13 |
| Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College Durham | Undergraduate certificate | $10,036 | not published | 13 |
| Carolina College of Hair Design Inc Asheville | Undergraduate certificate | $5,611 | not published | 18 |
| College of Wilmington Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | $13,666 | not published | 35 |
| Leons Beauty School Inc Greensboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 121 |
| No Grease Barber School Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | $10,036 | not published | 5 |
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Undergraduate certificate | $8,048 | not published | 21 |
| Winston Salem Barber School Winston-Salem | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 76 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 45 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Beaufort County Community College Washington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Beaufort County Community College Washington | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Bladen Community College Dublin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Bladen Community College Dublin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 34 |
| Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Brunswick Community College Bolivia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Brunswick Community College Bolivia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Central Carolina Community College Sanford | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 17 |
| College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Craven Community College New Bern | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 19 |
| Gaston College Dallas | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| Gaston College Dallas | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Halifax Community College Weldon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Halifax Community College Weldon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Haywood Community College Clyde | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Haywood Community College Clyde | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Isothermal Community College Spindale | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Isothermal Community College Spindale | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| James Sprunt Community College Kenansville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| James Sprunt Community College Kenansville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Johnston Community College Smithfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Johnston Community College Smithfield | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Martin Community College Williamston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Martin Community College Williamston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Mayland Community College Spruce Pine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Mayland Community College Spruce Pine | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| One Stop Academy Fayetteville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Pamlico Community College Grantsboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Piedmont Community College Roxboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Randolph Community College Asheboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 48 |
| Randolph Community College Asheboro | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Roanoke-Chowan Community College Ahoskie | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Roanoke-Chowan Community College Ahoskie | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Robeson Community College Lumberton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Rockingham Community College Wentworth | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Rockingham Community College Wentworth | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Sampson Community College Clinton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Sampson Community College Clinton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 14 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Southeastern Community College Whiteville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Southeastern Community College Whiteville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Stanly Community College Albemarle | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Stanly Community College Albemarle | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Surry Community College Dobson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Surry Community College Dobson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Tri-County Community College Murphy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Tri-County Community College Murphy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Western Piedmont Community College Morganton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Western Piedmont Community College Morganton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 19 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.