Designer Barber & Stylist School Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Fort Smith, AR
- About 45 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Designer Barber & Stylist School cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $17,460 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $16,500 in federal loans, more than at 94% of cosmetology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying cosmetology programs in Arkansas.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Designer Barber & Stylist School graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,873 less than the Arkansas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas 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 is about the same in the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Arkansas earn a median of $28,830 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 $175 a month, or 12.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
94% of graduates (44 of 47) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Fort Smith area are about 14% below the national average, so a $17,460 salary here buys what about $20,329 buys in a typical US city.
The median Arkansas cosmetologist earns $28,830, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Arkansas prices, that pay is worth about $33,162, which puts Arkansas 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
$28,830Median pay in Arkansas. 1,410 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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
$27,690Median pay in Arkansas. 230 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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
$39,420Median pay in Arkansas. 960 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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
$36,520Median pay in Arkansas. 340 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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 Designer Barber & Stylist School
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Designer Barber & Stylist School that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Fort Smith
Common questions
The median graduate earns $17,460 one year after graduating and $17,466 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Fort Smith metro area earn a median of $28,090 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $16,500, which ranks 15th lowest of 16 cosmetology certificate programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 95% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Arkansas programs before deciding.
Most do. 94% (44 of 47) were working in Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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