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Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools

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2023 Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools

34 Colleges
$16,507 Avg Salary
$15,151 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Cosmetology Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 107,895 people earned a degree or certificate in cosmetology, making the major the #229 most popular in the United States.

Today's 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. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Clover Park Technical College the best school in the United States for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at CPTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,538.

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#2

Douglas Education Center

Monessen, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Douglas Education Center. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools list. Douglas Education Center is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Monessen.

Cosmetology majors at Douglas Education Center take out an average of $17,938 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $424, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Johnson County Community College is a great place for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.

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#4

Cerritos College

Norwalk, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Cerritos College is a great place for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Cosmetology at Cerritos College Report

#5

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

The excellent associate degree programs at Saint Paul College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in the United States. Saint Paul College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

Full Cosmetology at Saint Paul College Report

Waukesha County Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Cosmetology at Waukesha County Technical College Report

#7

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree cosmetology programs. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the town of Willmar.

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Remington College - Cleveland Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree cosmetology programs. Remington College - Cleveland Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Cleveland.

Full Cosmetology at Remington College - Cleveland Campus Report

Remington College - Houston Southeast Campus landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree cosmetology programs. Remington College - Houston Southeast Campus is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Webster.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Remington College - Houston Southeast Campus

Remington College - North Houston Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Remington College - North Houston Campus is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

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Cosmetology by Region

View the Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 4 majors within the area of study, cosmetology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts 19,806
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.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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