Is the cosmetology program at TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown cosmetology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $9,833, which ranks the lowest of 6 cosmetology certificate programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $104 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown cosmetology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 92% (82 of 89) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Private for-profit school
Newtown, CT
About 73 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown cosmetology graduates earn more than graduates of most cosmetology programs nationally, $21,621 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $9,833 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,833. It is one of the higher-paying cosmetology programs in Connecticut.

First-year earnings$21,62186th percentile of 961 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$30,96843% more than year one

Median federal debt$9,833The lowest of 6 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Connecticut median 54%, national 55%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Connecticut and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.

	TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$21,621	$19,622	$17,247
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$30,968	$28,571	$22,164
Median federal debt at graduation	$9,833	$10,666	$9,833
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	54%	55%
Programs compared		6	961

Five years out, TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,398 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut cosmetology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Connecticut medians.

TIGI Hairdressing Academy NewtownOther Connecticut programs

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 43% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Connecticut earn a median of $44,620 across all experience levels, which shows how much room there is to grow after the first few years.

TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown grads, year 1$21,621

TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown grads, year 5$30,968

All Connecticut cosmetology grads, year 5$28,571

All hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Connecticut$44,620

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Bridgeport metro$46,470

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 $1,508 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$21,144Median debt $10,612

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$22,652Median debt $9,833

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $104 a month, or 5.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (104 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

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, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,705.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (82 of 89) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $21,621 salary here buys what about $20,232 buys in a typical US city.

The median Connecticut cosmetologist earns $44,620, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Connecticut prices, that pay is worth about $43,065, which puts Connecticut 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

$44,620

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,090 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $72,620

Manicurists and Pedicurists

$34,720

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,490 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $44,860

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

$52,720

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,740 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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.

Bottom 10%: $36,540Top 10%: $78,180

Skincare Specialists

$43,680

Median pay in Connecticut. 660 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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.

Bottom 10%: $34,010Top 10%: $87,240

About TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown

Tuition and fees for the school's largest program	$20,500
Average net price after aid, largest program	$14,380
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	81%
Undergraduate students	53

Cosmetology is the only certificate program at TIGI Hairdressing Academy Newtown that reports first-year earnings.

Other cosmetology certificate programs near Newtown

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
TIGI Hairdressing Academy NewtownNewtown, CT · private for-profit		$21,621	$9,833
Oxford Academy of Hair DesignSeymour, CT · private for-profit	12 mi	$16,963	$10,851
Paul Mitchell the School-North HavenNorth Haven, CT · private for-profit	22 mi	$19,288	$9,833
Branford Academy of Hair & CosmetologyBranford, CT · private for-profit	24 mi	$15,931	$13,918
Academy Di Capelli-School of CosmetologyWallingford, CT · private for-profit	26 mi	$19,955	$10,666
Empire Beauty School-PeekskillPeekskill, NY · private for-profit	33 mi	$13,638	$10,667
New York School of Esthetics & Day Spawhite plains, NY · private for-profit	36 mi	$20,531	$6,625
Western Suffolk BOCESNorthport, NY · public	36 mi	$17,906	$7,210
International Institute of CosmetologyWethersfield, CT · private for-profit	39 mi	$20,111	$10,946

Common questions

The median graduate earns $21,621 one year after graduating and $30,968 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Bridgeport metro area earn a median of $46,470 across all experience levels.

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 Connecticut 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

Cosmetology certificate programs in Connecticut, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Cosmetology certificate programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt