How much debt do Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,899, which ranks 8th lowest of 23 cosmetology certificate programs in Ohio. That works out to about $116 a month over 10 years.

Is the cosmetology program at Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 52% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Ohio programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor cosmetology graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 95% (221 of 232) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Mentor, OH
About 145 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $20,873 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,899 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$20,87381st percentile of 961 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$26,69828% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,8998th lowest of 23 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings52%Ohio median 68%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,873	$17,111	$17,247
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$26,698	$24,257	$22,164
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,899	$11,583	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	52%	68%	55%
Programs compared		28	961

Five years out, Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,441 more than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio cosmetology program

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

Brown Aveda Institute-MentorOther Ohio 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 28% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Ohio earn a median of $36,260 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.

Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor grads, year 1$20,873

Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor grads, year 5$26,698

All Ohio cosmetology grads, year 5$24,257

All hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Ohio$36,260

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Cleveland metro$35,640

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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $12,304 against $9,833.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$21,571Median debt $12,304

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$19,440Median debt $9,833

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $116 a month, or 6.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (323 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	30–34%
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–34%
In default	5% 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, 56 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $8,362.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (221 of 232) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Cleveland area are about 6% below the national average, so a $20,873 salary here buys what about $22,224 buys in a typical US city.

The median Ohio cosmetologist earns $36,260, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Ohio prices, that pay is worth about $39,084, which puts Ohio 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

$36,260

Median pay in Ohio. 12,890 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $23,520Top 10%: $77,330

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$35,590

Median pay in Ohio. 3,680 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $26,650Top 10%: $53,260

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$39,660

Median pay in Ohio. 2,390 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $29,440Top 10%: $67,600

Skincare Specialists

$39,150

Median pay in Ohio. 1,700 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $28,350Top 10%: $74,030

About Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$20,630
Average net price after aid, largest program	$18,251
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	86%
Undergraduate students	115

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Mentor

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Brown Aveda Institute-MentorMentor, OH · private for-profit		$20,873	$10,899
LaBarberia Institute of HairMayfield Hts, OH · private for-profit	13 mi	$11,561	$20,000
Paul Mitchell the School-ClevelandTwinsburg, OH · private for-profit	25 mi	$19,778	$12,535
Casal Aveda InstituteNiles, OH · private for-profit	43 mi	$15,698	$10,667
Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-NilesNiles, OH · private for-profit	45 mi	$15,266	$11,000
Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-AllianceAlliance, OH · private for-profit	54 mi	$13,623	$10,250
Laurel Technical Institute (Hermitage, Pennsylvania)Hermitage, PA · private for-profit	56 mi	$17,251	$13,600
Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-BoardmanBoardman, OH · private for-profit	56 mi	$12,380	$9,590
National Beauty CollegeCanton, OH · private for-profit	57 mi	$16,763	$14,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,873 one year after graduating and $26,698 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Cleveland metro area earn a median of $35,640 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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt