Northwood Technical College Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Public college
- Rice Lake, WI
- About 43 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Northwood Technical College cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $18,294 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,500 in federal loans, less than at 95% of cosmetology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying cosmetology programs in Wisconsin.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Wisconsin and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Northwood Technical College graduates earn more than the national figure but about $942 less than the Wisconsin median. Several Wisconsin programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Wisconsin 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 49% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Wisconsin earn a median of $36,230 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 $58 a month, or 3.8% 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
64% of graduates (29 of 45) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas are about 10% below the national average, so a $18,294 salary here buys what about $20,423 buys in a typical US city.
The median Wisconsin cosmetologist earns $36,230, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Wisconsin prices, that pay is worth about $38,504, which puts Wisconsin 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
$36,230Median pay in Wisconsin. 6,260 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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
$36,680Median pay in Wisconsin. 2,350 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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
$46,350Median pay in Wisconsin. 4,740 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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
$46,220Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,190 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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 Northwood Technical College
Cosmetology ranks 11th of 11 certificate programs at Northwood Technical College by first-year earnings. The top three are Heavy Equipment Maintenance ($55,793), Computer and Information Science ($50,239), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($43,765).
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Rice Lake
Common questions
The median graduate earns $18,294 one year after graduating and $27,307 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Wisconsin earn a median of $36,230 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $5,500, which ranks the lowest of 16 cosmetology certificate programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $58 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Wisconsin programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 64% (29 of 45) were working in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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