2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 157 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Cosmetology program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the cosmetology associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 15% Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Clover Park Technical College the most popular school in the United States for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public school with a small student population.
Women make up 99% of the cosmetology majors at the school.
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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Douglas Education Center. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools list. Douglas Education Center is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Monessen.
About 82% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 18% are male.
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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Out of the 157 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Houston Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Houston Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Houston.
Of the 53 students majoring in cosmetology at Houston Community College, 4% are male and 96% are female.
Cosmetology majors at Houston Community College take out an average of $27,801 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Cosmetology at Houston Community College Report
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Out of the 157 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Citrus College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Glendora, Citrus College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Citrus College
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Out of the 157 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public school with a large student population.
Of the 28 students majoring in cosmetology at CNM, 4% are male and 96% are female.
Cosmetology majors at CNM take out an average of $15,146 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Central New Mexico Community College
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Golden West College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools list. Golden West College is a large public school located in the suburb of Huntington Beach.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Golden West College
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Gadsden State Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Gadsden, GSCC is a public college with a small student population.
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Northwest-Shoals Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Muscle Shoals, NW-SCC is a public school with a small student population.
Of the 25 students majoring in cosmetology at NW-SCC, 8% are male and 92% are female.
Full Cosmetology at Northwest-Shoals Community College Report
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Palo Alto College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Palo Alto College is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Antonio.
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Shelton State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Shelton State Community College is a small public school located in the city of Tuscaloosa.
Of the 25 students majoring in cosmetology at Shelton State Community College, 4% are male and 96% are female.
Full Cosmetology at Shelton State Community College Report
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Bellingham Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Bellingham, Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute is a public college with a small student population.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Bellingham Technical College
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Cerritos College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree cosmetology programs. Located in the suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public college with a large student population.
About 95% of the students majoring in cosmetology at the school are women while 5% are male.
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With a ranking of #13, Honolulu Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. Honolulu CC is a small public school located in the city of Honolulu.
Of the 20 students majoring in cosmetology at Honolulu CC, 5% are male and 95% are female.
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Fayetteville Technical Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Cosmetology majors at FTCC take out an average of $22,510 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Cosmetology at Fayetteville Technical Community College Report
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Johnson County Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree cosmetology programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.
Full Cosmetology at Johnson County Community College Report
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Central Piedmont Community College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree cosmetology programs. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 94% of the cosmetology majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #17, College of DuPage did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for cosmetology students working on their associate degree. COD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn.
Full Cosmetology at College of DuPage Report
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Spokane Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools ranking. Spokane Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Spokane.
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Utah State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list. USU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Logan.
Read full report on Cosmetology at Utah State University
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San Jacinto Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Cosmetology at San Jacinto Community College Report
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Remington College - Cleveland Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for cosmetology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Remington College - Cleveland Campus is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Cleveland.
Full Cosmetology at Remington College - Cleveland Campus Report
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Wake Technical Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools list. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.
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Riverside City College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree cosmetology programs. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Riverside.
Full Cosmetology at Riverside City College Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Central Carolina Community College | Sanford, NC |
| 24 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | Perkinston, MS |
| 24 | Fullerton College | Fullerton, CA |
| 24 | Eastern Wyoming College | Torrington, WY |
| 24 | Walla Walla Community College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 29 | Northeast Alabama Community College | Rainsville, AL |
| 29 | Northland Pioneer College | Holbrook, AZ |
| 31 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 31 | Remington College - North Houston Campus | Houston, TX |
| 31 | Mt. Hood Community College | Gresham, OR |
Cosmetology by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
Majors Related to Cosmetology
One of 4 majors within the area of study, cosmetology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Cosmetology
| 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 28 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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