Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Virginia Beach, VA
- About 91 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $20,028 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $16,184 in federal loans, more than at 93% of cosmetology programs in the country. Several Virginia programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Virginia and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,011 more than the Virginia median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Virginia 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 38% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,233 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 $172 a month, or 10.3% 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, 28 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $9,655.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
81% of graduates (85 of 105) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Virginia Beach area are about 2% below the national average, so a $20,028 salary here buys what about $20,449 buys in a typical US city.
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
$35,790Median pay nationwide. 10,200 people work in this job in Virginia. 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
$36,630Median pay in Virginia. 4,230 people work in this job in Virginia. 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
$48,990Median pay in Virginia. 2,950 people work in this job in Virginia. 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
$39,350Median pay in Virginia. 1,970 people work in this job in Virginia. 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 Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School
Cosmetology is the only certificate program at Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School that reports first-year earnings.
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Virginia Beach
Common questions
The median graduate earns $20,028 one year after graduating and $27,641 five years after. The median across cosmetology certificate programs in Virginia is $19,820.
The median federal loan balance is $16,184, which ranks 11th lowest of 12 cosmetology certificate programs in Virginia. That works out to about $172 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 81% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Virginia programs before deciding.
Most do. 81% (85 of 105) were working in Virginia 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 Virginia 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