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Best Value Cosmetology Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value Cosmetology Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$0 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$19,770 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Cosmetology School for You

With 6 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, cosmetology is the #217 most popular major in Iowa.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Cosmetology Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Iowa 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 15% Best Cosmetology Schools

#1

PCI Academy-Ames

Ames, IA

Our analysis found PCI Academy-Ames to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the small city of Ames, PCI Academy-Ames is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Cosmetology majors at PCI Academy-Ames take out an average of $12,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $87.

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Our analysis found The Salon Professional Academy to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, TSPA - Cedar Falls is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Cosmetology majors at TSPA - Cedar Falls take out an average of $12,062 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Our analysis found Iowa School of Beauty-Ottumwa to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the remote town of Ottumwa, ISB is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at ISB take out is $12,000.

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Our analysis found La James International College-Johnston to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. La James International College-Johnston is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Johnston.

Cosmetology majors at La James International College-Johnston take out an average of $15,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Cosmetology at La James International College-Johnston Report

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#1

E Q School of Hair Design

Council Bluffs, IA

Our 2023 rankings named E Q School of Hair Design the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. EQ School is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Council Bluffs.

Cosmetology majors at EQ School take out an average of $10,442 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Our analysis found La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the remote town of Mason City, LaJames College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, cosmetology graduates from LaJames College carry an average student debtload of $8,000.

Full Cosmetology at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology Report

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Our analysis found Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the town of Spirit Lake, Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that cosmetology majors at Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake take out is $12,000.

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Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Davenport the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. La James International College-Davenport is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Davenport.

On average, cosmetology graduates from La James International College-Davenport take out $14,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Our 2023 rankings named Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. ISB is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Des Moines.

On average, cosmetology graduates from ISB take out $8,186 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#1

Capri College, Davenport

Davenport, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Capri College, Davenport the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, Capri College, Davenport is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Capri College, Davenport take out $10,495 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $67, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Cedar Falls the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. La James International College-Cedar Falls is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

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#1

American Hair Academy

Mt. Pleasant, IA

Our analysis found American Hair Academy to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. American Hair Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Mt. Pleasant.

While working on their degree, cosmetology majors at American Hair Academy accumulate an average of around $13,189 in student debt.

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#1

Capri College, Dubuque

Dubuque, IA

Our analysis found Capri College, Dubuque to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Capri College, Dubuque is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Cosmetology majors at Capri College, Dubuque take out an average of $10,940 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $67, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Cosmetology at Capri College, Dubuque Report

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#1

Capri College, Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, IA

Our analysis found Capri College, Cedar Rapids to be the best value school for cosmetology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Capri College, Cedar Rapids is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Capri College, Cedar Rapids take out $11,834 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $69, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Cosmetology at Capri College, Cedar Rapids Report

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Our 2023 rankings named La James International College-Ft Dodge the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. La James International College-Ft Dodge is a small private for-profit school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.

Cosmetology majors at La James International College-Ft Dodge take out an average of $14,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#1

Aveda Institute - Des Moines

West Des Moines, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Aveda Institute - Des Moines the best value school in Iowa for cosmetology students. Aveda Institute - Des Moines is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of West Des Moines.

On average, cosmetology graduates from Aveda Institute - Des Moines take out $12,083 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $100.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Cosmetology students in the state of Iowa seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Cosmetology Schools in Iowa award.

Rank College Location

Best Value Cosmetology Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 23
Kansas 51

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 16 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.

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