How much debt do Academy of Hair Design cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,500, which ranks 11th lowest of 11 cosmetology certificate programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.

Is the cosmetology program at Academy of Hair Design worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Oklahoma programs before deciding.

Academy of Hair Design Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Academy of Hair Design cosmetology graduates stay in Oklahoma?

Most do. 97% (33 of 34) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Oklahoma City, OK
About 37 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Academy of Hair Design cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $17,958 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $16,500 in federal loans, more than at 94% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several Oklahoma programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$17,95857th percentile of 961 programs nationally

Median federal debt$16,50011th lowest of 11 Oklahoma programs

Debt-to-earnings92%Oklahoma median 66%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Academy of Hair Design	Oklahoma	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$17,958	$15,771	$17,247
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,500	$9,500	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	66%	55%
Programs compared		15	961

Debt and first-year pay at every Oklahoma cosmetology program

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

Academy of Hair DesignOther Oklahoma programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $175 a month, or 11.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (40 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	40–59%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

97% of graduates (33 of 34) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the Oklahoma City area are about 10% below the national average, so a $17,958 salary here buys what about $19,863 buys in a typical US city.

The median Oklahoma cosmetologist earns $29,650, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Oklahoma prices, that pay is worth about $33,753, which puts Oklahoma behind.

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

$29,650

Median pay in Oklahoma. 1,920 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $18,980Top 10%: $60,390

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$31,330

Median pay in Oklahoma. 480 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $22,290Top 10%: $50,620

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$37,390

Median pay in Oklahoma. 1,470 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $27,810Top 10%: $71,620

Skincare Specialists

$37,340

Median pay in Oklahoma. 680 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $22,140Top 10%: $77,020

About Academy of Hair Design

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$18,100
Average net price after aid, largest program	$18,005
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	100%
Undergraduate students	56

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Academy of Hair Design that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Oklahoma City

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Academy of Hair DesignOklahoma City, OK · private for-profit		$17,958	$16,500
Central Oklahoma CollegeOklahoma City, OK · private for-profit	Under 1 mi	$19,149	$8,707
Francis Tuttle Technology CenterOklahoma City, OK · public	5 mi	$15,765	$12,250
Shawnee Beauty CollegeShawnee, OK · private for-profit	40 mi	$16,577	$4,333
Formations InstituteEnid, OK · private for-profit	58 mi	$11,050	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $17,958 one year after graduating. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Oklahoma City metro area earn a median of $29,700 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt