Charleston Cosmetology Institute Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Charleston, SC
- About 83 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Charleston Cosmetology Institute cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $18,084 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $12,052 in federal loans, more than at 75% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several South Carolina programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The South Carolina and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Charleston Cosmetology Institute graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,559 less than the South Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every South Carolina cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the South Carolina 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 10% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in South Carolina earn a median of $33,700 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 $128 a month, or 8.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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
93% of graduates (71 of 76) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Charleston area are about 1% above the national average, so a $18,084 salary here buys what about $17,912 buys in a typical US city.
The median South Carolina cosmetologist earns $33,700, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for South Carolina prices, that pay is worth about $35,947, which puts South Carolina slightly 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
$33,700Median pay in South Carolina. 3,570 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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
$33,810Median pay in South Carolina. 710 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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
$44,100Median pay in South Carolina. 2,040 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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
$39,670Median pay in South Carolina. 1,210 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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 Charleston Cosmetology Institute
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Charleston Cosmetology Institute that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Charleston
Common questions
The median graduate earns $18,084 one year after graduating and $19,805 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Charleston metro area earn a median of $34,860 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $12,052, which ranks 6th lowest of 8 cosmetology certificate programs in South Carolina. That works out to about $128 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 67% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other South Carolina programs before deciding.
Most do. 93% (71 of 76) were working in South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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