How much debt do Esthetic Institute cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,208, which ranks 7th lowest of 12 cosmetology certificate programs in Virginia. That works out to about $119 a month over 10 years.

Is the cosmetology program at Esthetic Institute worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 38% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%.

Esthetic Institute Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Esthetic Institute cosmetology graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 51% (48 of 95) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Vienna, VA
About 160 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Esthetic Institute cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $29,301 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,208 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. It is one of the higher-paying cosmetology programs in Virginia.

First-year earnings$29,30199th percentile of 961 programs nationally

Median federal debt$11,2087th lowest of 12 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings38%Virginia median 51%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Esthetic Institute	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,301	$19,820	$17,247
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,208	$10,983	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	38%	51%	55%
Programs compared		14	961

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia cosmetology program

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

Esthetic InstituteOther Virginia programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $119 a month, or 4.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

51% of graduates (48 of 95) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $29,301 salary here buys what about $26,910 buys in a typical US city.

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

$35,790

Median pay nationwide. 10,200 people work in this job in Virginia. 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

$36,630

Median pay in Virginia. 4,230 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $29,370Top 10%: $59,430

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$48,990

Median pay in Virginia. 2,950 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $35,920Top 10%: $79,770

Skincare Specialists

$39,350

Median pay in Virginia. 1,970 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $31,530Top 10%: $67,520

About Esthetic Institute

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$10,000
Average net price after aid, largest program	$22,147
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	88%
Undergraduate students	66

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Esthetic Institute that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Vienna

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Esthetic InstituteVienna, VA · private for-profit		$29,301	$11,208
Avi Career Trainingvienna, VA · private for-profit	5 mi	$15,607	$6,333
Montgomery Beauty SchoolSilver Spring, MD · private for-profit	14 mi	$18,623	$12,937
Hair AcademyNew Carrollton, MD · private for-profit	20 mi	$16,819	$13,000
Aspen Beauty Academy of LaurelLaurel, MD · private for-profit	26 mi	$11,038	$16,500
Temple-A Paul Mitchell Partner SchoolFrederick, MD · private for-profit	36 mi	$20,844	$12,583
Cortiva Institute (Maryland)Linthicum, MD · private for-profit	37 mi	$20,754	$7,917
Maryland Beauty Academy of EssexBaltimore, MD · private for-profit	47 mi	$13,002	$11,500
Eastern Virginia Career CollegeFredericksburg, VA · private for-profit	49 mi	$19,612	$7,917

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,301 one year after graduating. The median across cosmetology certificate programs in Virginia is $19,820.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt