Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Harrisburg, PA
- About 110 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $14,803 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $12,588 in federal loans, more than at 79% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Pennsylvania and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania graduates earn about the national figure but about $701 less than the Pennsylvania median. Several Pennsylvania programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Pennsylvania medians.
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 48% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Pennsylvania earn a median of $36,790 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.
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.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $133 a month, or 10.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
95% of graduates (36 of 38) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating. Prices in the Harrisburg area are about 1% below the national average, so a $14,803 salary here buys what about $15,006 buys in a typical US city.
The median Pennsylvania cosmetologist earns $36,790, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Pennsylvania prices, that pay is worth about $37,705, which puts Pennsylvania 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
$36,790Median pay in Pennsylvania. 19,350 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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.
Manicurists and Pedicurists
$27,990Median pay in Pennsylvania. 9,610 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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.
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers
$47,990Median pay in Pennsylvania. 8,980 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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.
Skincare Specialists
$43,620Median pay in Pennsylvania. 2,560 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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.
About Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Harrisburg
Common questions
The median graduate earns $14,803 one year after graduating and $21,895 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Harrisburg metro area earn a median of $30,550 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $12,588, which ranks 16th lowest of 26 cosmetology certificate programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $133 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.
Most do. 95% (36 of 38) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating.
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 Pennsylvania 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