How much debt do Hair Academy cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 9 cosmetology certificate programs in Maryland. That works out to about $138 a month over 10 years.

Is the cosmetology program at Hair Academy worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Maryland programs before deciding.

Hair Academy Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Hair Academy cosmetology graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 77% (112 of 145) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
New Carrollton, MD
About 165 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hair Academy cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $16,819 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $13,000 in federal loans, more than at 81% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$16,81946th percentile of 961 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$19,80818% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,0007th lowest of 9 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Maryland median 69%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Hair Academy	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$16,819	$16,607	$17,247
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$19,808	$23,343	$22,164
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,000	$12,042	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	69%	55%
Programs compared		10	961

Five years out, Hair Academy graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,535 less than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland cosmetology program

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

Hair AcademyOther Maryland 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 18% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Maryland earn a median of $36,420 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.

Hair Academy grads, year 1$16,819

Hair Academy grads, year 5$19,808

All Maryland cosmetology grads, year 5$23,343

All hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Maryland$36,420

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Washington metro$37,020

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 $138 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (95 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	60–79%
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (112 of 145) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $16,819 salary here buys what about $15,447 buys in a typical US city.

The median Maryland cosmetologist earns $36,420, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Maryland prices, that pay is worth about $34,699, which puts Maryland 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

$36,420

Median pay in Maryland. 5,860 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $31,830Top 10%: $72,940

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$37,300

Median pay in Maryland. 2,080 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $34,280Top 10%: $48,370

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$51,510

Median pay in Maryland. 4,010 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $36,390Top 10%: $79,100

Skincare Specialists

$46,590

Median pay in Maryland. 1,130 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $35,580Top 10%: $79,940

About Hair Academy

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$25,500
Average net price after aid, largest program	$20,565
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	61%
Undergraduate students	229

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

Other cosmetology certificate programs near New Carrollton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hair AcademyNew Carrollton, MD · private for-profit		$16,819	$13,000
Montgomery Beauty SchoolSilver Spring, MD · private for-profit	8 mi	$18,623	$12,937
Aspen Beauty Academy of LaurelLaurel, MD · private for-profit	10 mi	$11,038	$16,500
Esthetic InstituteVienna, VA · private for-profit	20 mi	$29,301	$11,208
Cortiva Institute (Maryland)Linthicum, MD · private for-profit	21 mi	$20,754	$7,917
Avi Career Trainingvienna, VA · private for-profit	23 mi	$15,607	$6,333
Maryland Beauty Academy of EssexBaltimore, MD · private for-profit	31 mi	$13,002	$11,500
Temple-A Paul Mitchell Partner SchoolFrederick, MD · private for-profit	43 mi	$20,844	$12,583
Aveda Institute-MarylandBel Air, MD · private for-profit	49 mi	$16,394	$9,833

Common questions

The median graduate earns $16,819 one year after graduating and $19,808 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Washington metro area earn a median of $37,020 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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt