South Plains College Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Public college
- Levelland, TX
- About 88 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
South Plains College cosmetology graduates earn less than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $11,557 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $11,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. Several Texas programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, South Plains College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $1,454 more than the Texas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas 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 99% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Texas earn a median of $30,680 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 $117 a month, or 12.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (46 of 50) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Lubbock area are about 9% below the national average, so a $11,557 salary here buys what about $12,656 buys in a typical US city.
The median Texas cosmetologist earns $30,680, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Texas prices, that pay is worth about $31,610, which puts Texas 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
$30,680Median pay in Texas. 22,440 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$34,040Median pay in Texas. 5,340 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$45,560Median pay in Texas. 11,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$49,250Median pay in Texas. 6,160 people work in this job in Texas. 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 South Plains College
Cosmetology ranks 4th of 4 certificate programs at South Plains College by first-year earnings. The top three are Criminal Justice ($49,987), Practical Nursing ($42,000), and Welding and Machining ($31,733).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $11,557 one year after graduating and $22,989 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Lubbock metro area earn a median of $28,630 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $11,000, which ranks 47th lowest of 61 cosmetology certificate programs in Texas. That works out to about $117 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 95% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.
Most do. 92% (46 of 50) were working in Texas 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 Texas 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