Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Mooresville, NC
- About 30 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $16,486 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $14,036 in federal loans, more than at 88% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology graduates earn more than the national figure and about $1,584 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina 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 50% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in North Carolina earn a median of $38,410 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 $149 a month, or 10.8% 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
97% of graduates (28 of 29) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Charlotte area are about 3% below the national average, so a $16,486 salary here buys what about $16,935 buys in a typical US city.
The median North Carolina cosmetologist earns $38,410, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for North Carolina prices, that pay is worth about $40,720, which puts North Carolina 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
$38,410Median pay in North Carolina. 8,490 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$34,740Median pay in North Carolina. 1,900 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$45,400Median pay in North Carolina. 3,510 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$39,120Median pay in North Carolina. 2,680 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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 Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Mooresville
Common questions
The median graduate earns $16,486 one year after graduating and $24,788 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Charlotte metro area earn a median of $38,530 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $14,036, which ranks 7th lowest of 13 cosmetology certificate programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $149 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other North Carolina programs before deciding.
Most do. 97% (28 of 29) were working in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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