How much debt do COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,667, which ranks 12th lowest of 12 cosmetology certificate programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $113 a month over 10 years.

Is the cosmetology program at COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% 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.

COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester cosmetology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 93% (232 of 250) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Worcester, MA
About 173 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $20,720 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $10,667 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. It is one of the higher-paying cosmetology programs in Massachusetts.

First-year earnings$20,72080th percentile of 961 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$32,43557% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,66712th lowest of 12 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings51%Massachusetts median 51%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,720	$17,299	$17,247
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$32,435	$24,991	$22,164
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,667	$8,787	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	51%	55%
Programs compared		12	961

Five years out, COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,444 more than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts cosmetology program

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

COLLECTIV Academy-WorcesterOther Massachusetts 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 57% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Massachusetts earn a median of $37,290 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.

COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester grads, year 1$20,720

COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester grads, year 5$32,435

All Massachusetts cosmetology grads, year 5$24,991

All hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Massachusetts$37,290

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Worcester metro$36,430

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 $2,851 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$19,938Median debt $10,667

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$22,789Median debt $6,222

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $113 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (259 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	35–39%
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, 111 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,046.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (232 of 250) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Worcester area are about 3% above the national average, so a $20,720 salary here buys what about $20,210 buys in a typical US city.

The median Massachusetts cosmetologist earns $37,290, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Massachusetts prices, that pay is worth about $35,260, which puts Massachusetts slightly 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

$37,290

Median pay in Massachusetts. 9,600 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $31,600Top 10%: $79,330

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$35,470

Median pay in Massachusetts. 4,660 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $33,510Top 10%: $46,210

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$53,740

Median pay in Massachusetts. 1,600 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $36,440Top 10%: $83,370

Skincare Specialists

$47,310

Median pay in Massachusetts. 1,360 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $36,610Top 10%: $60,320

About COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$15,070
Average net price after aid, largest program	$24,598
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	81%
Undergraduate students	192

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Worcester

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
COLLECTIV Academy-WorcesterWorcester, MA · private for-profit		$20,720	$10,667
Rob Roy Academy-WorcesterWorcester, MA · private for-profit	1 mi	$17,208	$9,500
Alexander AcademyLunenburg, MA · private for-profit	21 mi	$15,615	$9,500
Lowell Academy Hairstyling InstituteLowell, MA · private for-profit	36 mi	$17,058	$7,944
EINETewksbury, MA · private for-profit	37 mi	$20,496	$8,833
Catherine Hinds Institute of EstheticsWoburn, MA · private for-profit	37 mi	$26,234	$7,667
Jupiter Beauty AcademyBoston, MA · private for-profit	38 mi	$15,780	$8,740
New England Hair AcademyMalden, MA · private for-profit	39 mi	$17,390	$8,083
Springfield Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MA · public	41 mi	$14,262	$5,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,720 one year after graduating and $32,435 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Worcester metro area earn a median of $36,430 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt