Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Lexington, KY
- About 80 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $18,950 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 Kentucky.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Kentucky and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,914 more than the Kentucky median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Kentucky 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 14% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Kentucky earn a median of $29,840 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.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,709 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $175 a month, or 11.1% 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. Separately, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $9,817.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (108 of 117) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Lexington area are about 7% below the national average, so a $18,950 salary here buys what about $20,401 buys in a typical US city.
The median Kentucky cosmetologist earns $29,840, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Kentucky prices, that pay is worth about $33,097, which puts Kentucky 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
$29,840Median pay in Kentucky. 2,350 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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
$45,310Median pay in Kentucky. 240 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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
$41,490Median pay in Kentucky. 840 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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
$38,580Median pay in Kentucky. 830 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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 Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Lexington
Common questions
The median graduate earns $18,950 one year after graduating and $21,614 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Lexington metro area earn a median of $29,230 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $16,500, which ranks 9th lowest of 10 cosmetology certificate programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 87% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Kentucky programs before deciding.
Most do. 92% (108 of 117) were working in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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