La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit college
- Mason City, IA
- About 44 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $23,313 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $8,582 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. Several Iowa programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Iowa and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,128 less than the Iowa median. Several Iowa programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Iowa 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 falls about 17% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Iowa earn a median of $35,700 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 $91 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
93% of graduates (26 of 28) were working in Iowa one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Iowa outside metro areas are about 16% below the national average, so a $23,313 salary here buys what about $27,728 buys in a typical US city.
The median Iowa cosmetologist earns $35,700, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Iowa prices, that pay is worth about $40,678, which puts Iowa ahead.
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
$35,700Median pay in Iowa. 2,930 people work in this job in Iowa. 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
$45,420Median pay in Iowa. 190 people work in this job in Iowa. 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
$38,780Median pay in Iowa. 770 people work in this job in Iowa. 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
$37,080Median pay in Iowa. 710 people work in this job in Iowa. 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 La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology that reports first-year earnings.
Common questions
The median graduate earns $23,313 one year after graduating and $19,351 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Iowa earn a median of $35,700 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $8,582, which ranks the lowest of 13 cosmetology certificate programs in Iowa. That works out to about $91 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Iowa programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 93% (26 of 28) were working in Iowa 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 Iowa 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