Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

30 Colleges
$2,620 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$16,451 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Cosmetology School for You

In 2020-2021, 193 degrees and certificates were awarded to cosmetology students who went to a North Carolina college or university. This makes it the #108 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in North Carolina to see which programs offered the best value experiences for cosmetology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for cosmetology majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Cosmetology Schools

$2,554 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Central Carolina Community College to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Central Carolina Community College is a small public school located in the town of Sanford.

Central Carolina Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,554 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Central Carolina Community College take out is $12,332.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Central Carolina Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Piedmont Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list. Central Piedmont Community College is a large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.

Central Piedmont Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,792 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Central Piedmont Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Central Piedmont Community College

Out of the 30 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Wake Technical Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wake Technical Community College are $2,768 a year. While working on their degree, cosmetology majors at Wake Technical Community College accumulate an average of around $11,703 in student debt.

Wake Technical Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Cosmetology at Wake Technical Community College Report

$2,632 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list. A-B Tech is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Asheville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at A-B Tech are $2,632 per year. On average, cosmetology graduates from A-B Tech take out $14,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Cosmetology at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Report

$2,602 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Cleveland Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best cosmetology schools in North Carolina. Cleveland Community College is a small public school located in the town of Shelby.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cleveland Community College are $2,602 a year.

Read More…

$2,544 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Fayetteville Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students. FTCC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

FTCC undergraduate students pay an average of $2,544 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Cosmetology at Fayetteville Technical Community College Report

#7

Robeson Community College

Lumberton, NC
$2,563 Average Tuition & Fees

Robeson Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for cosmetology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of Lumberton, Robeson Community College is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Robeson Community College are $2,563 per year.

Read More…

With a ranking of #8, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Hudson, CCCTI is a public school with a small student population.

CCCTI undergraduate students pay an average of $2,537 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Cosmetology at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Report

$2,601 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Southwestern Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for cosmetology students. Southwestern Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Sylva.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southwestern Community College are $2,601 a year.

Read More…

#10

Carteret Community College

Morehead City, NC
$2,610 Average Tuition & Fees

Carteret Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list. Carteret Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Morehead City.

Carteret Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,610 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Cosmetology at Carteret Community College Report

Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
South Carolina 0
Arkansas 1
Alabama 110
Mississippi 26

Cosmetology is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

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 30 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.