Universal Spa Training Academy Cosmetology (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
- Private for-profit school
- Downers Grove, IL
- About 171 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Universal Spa Training Academy cosmetology graduates earn about what cosmetology graduates earn nationally, $18,078 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,917 in federal loans, less than at 77% of cosmetology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying cosmetology programs in Illinois.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all cosmetology certificate programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Universal Spa Training Academy graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,470 more than the Illinois median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois cosmetology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois 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 45% between the first and fifth year. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Illinois earn a median of $34,040 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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $10,083 against $4,583.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $84 a month, or 5.6% 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, 26 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,868.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (107 of 116) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $18,078 salary here buys what about $17,451 buys in a typical US city.
The median Illinois cosmetologist earns $34,040, compared with a national median of $35,790. After adjusting for Illinois prices, that pay is worth about $34,054, which puts Illinois slightly 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
$34,040Median pay in Illinois. 13,190 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$37,050Median pay in Illinois. 2,470 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$49,150Median pay in Illinois. 2,670 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$45,330Median pay in Illinois. 2,960 people work in this job in Illinois. 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 Universal Spa Training Academy
Cosmetology ranks 2nd of 2 certificate programs at Universal Spa Training Academy by first-year earnings. The other is Massage Therapy ($19,205).
Other cosmetology certificate programs near Downers Grove
Common questions
The median graduate earns $18,078 one year after graduating and $26,182 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the Chicago metro area earn a median of $34,260 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $7,917, which ranks 3rd lowest of 35 cosmetology certificate programs in Illinois. That works out to about $84 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 92% (107 of 116) were working in Illinois 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 Illinois 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