Is the cosmetology program at Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 53% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,666, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 cosmetology certificate programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $113 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology cosmetology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 95% (122 of 128) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Wallingford, CT
About 120 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $19,955 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,666 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. Two other Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$19,95573rd percentile of 961 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$28,18041% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,6663rd lowest of 6 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings53%Connecticut median 54%, national 55%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Connecticut and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.

	Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$19,955	$19,622	$17,247
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$28,180	$28,571	$22,164
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,666	$10,666	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	53%	54%	55%
Programs compared		6	961

Five years out, Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut cosmetology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Connecticut medians.

Academy Di Capelli-School of CosmetologyOther Connecticut programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 41% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Connecticut earn a median of $44,620 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.

Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology grads, year 1$19,955

Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology grads, year 5$28,180

All Connecticut cosmetology grads, year 5$28,571

All hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Connecticut$44,620

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in New Haven metro$36,480

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate. BLS figures cover hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists at every experience level.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned slightly more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$20,151Median debt $10,667

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$19,239Median debt $9,833

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $113 a month, or 6.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (95 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	40–59%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 50 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $6,196.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (122 of 128) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the New Haven area are about 5% above the national average, so a $19,955 salary here buys what about $19,085 buys in a typical US city.

The median Connecticut cosmetologist earns $44,620, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Connecticut prices, that pay is worth about $43,065, which puts Connecticut ahead.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to cosmetology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$44,620

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,090 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 73,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $72,620

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$34,720

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,490 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 21,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $44,860

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$52,720

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,740 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $36,540Top 10%: $78,180

Skincare Specialists

$43,680

Median pay in Connecticut. 660 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $87,240

About Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$18,930
Average net price after aid, largest program	$12,607
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	70%
Undergraduate students	402

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Academy Di Capelli-School of Cosmetology that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Wallingford

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Academy Di Capelli-School of CosmetologyWallingford, CT · private for-profit		$19,955	$10,666
Paul Mitchell the School-North HavenNorth Haven, CT · private for-profit	7 mi	$19,288	$9,833
Oxford Academy of Hair DesignSeymour, CT · private for-profit	15 mi	$16,963	$10,851
Branford Academy of Hair & CosmetologyBranford, CT · private for-profit	15 mi	$15,931	$13,918
International Institute of CosmetologyWethersfield, CT · private for-profit	17 mi	$20,111	$10,946
TIGI Hairdressing Academy NewtownNewtown, CT · private for-profit	26 mi	$21,621	$9,833
Springfield Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MA · public	44 mi	$14,262	$5,500
DiGrigoli School of CosmetologyWest Springfield, MA · private for-profit	46 mi	$15,096	$7,735
Long Island Beauty School-HauppaugeHauppauge, NY · private for-profit	50 mi	$14,931	$7,039

Common questions

The median graduate earns $19,955 one year after graduating and $28,180 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the New Haven metro area earn a median of $36,480 across all experience levels.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Connecticut comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the cosmetology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Cosmetology certificate programs in Connecticut, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt