Compass Career College Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit college
- Hammond, LA
- About 41 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Compass Career College cosmetology graduates earn less than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $12,318 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $12,458 in federal loans, more than at 77% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several Louisiana programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Louisiana and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Compass Career College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,776 less than the Louisiana median. Several Louisiana programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Louisiana 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 21% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Louisiana earn a median of $26,030 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 $132 a month, or 12.9% 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
94% of graduates (30 of 32) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Hammond area are about 16% below the national average, so a $12,318 salary here buys what about $14,584 buys in a typical US city.
The median Louisiana cosmetologist earns $26,030, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Louisiana prices, that pay is worth about $29,510, which puts Louisiana 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
$26,030Median pay in Louisiana. 2,720 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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
$28,170Median pay in Louisiana. 2,210 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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
$38,670Median pay in Louisiana. 1,330 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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
$36,890Median pay in Louisiana. 600 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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 Compass Career College
Cosmetology ranks 5th of 5 certificate programs at Compass Career College by first-year earnings. The top three are Practical Nursing ($53,339), Health and Medical Administration ($26,169), and Welding and Machining ($25,735).
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Hammond
Common questions
The median graduate earns $12,318 one year after graduating and $14,886 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Louisiana earn a median of $26,030 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $12,458, which ranks 12th lowest of 21 cosmetology certificate programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $132 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 101% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.
Most do. 94% (30 of 32) were working in Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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