Which Arkansas cosmetology program has the lowest debt?

Arkansas State University-Newport reports the lowest median federal debt, $7,250, with first-year pay of $15,140.

How much do cosmetology graduates earn in Arkansas?

The median across 17 Arkansas cosmetology certificate programs is $14,513 in the first year after graduating and $19,339 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Arkansas earn a median of $28,830 across all experience levels.

How many cosmetology certificate programs are in Arkansas?

17 Arkansas programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 16 of them also report federal debt.

Cosmetology (Certificate) Programs in Arkansas, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

17 programs report first-year pay
16 also report federal debt
Certificate in Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median Arkansas cosmetology certificate program pays its graduates $14,513 in their first year, $2,734 less than the national median. Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock (now closed) reports the highest first-year pay ($21,161), and Arkansas State University-Newport the lowest median debt ($7,250).

Median first-year pay$14,513National $17,247

Median pay after 5 years$19,339National $22,164

Median federal debt$12,500National $9,833

Debt-to-earnings82%National 55%

All 17 programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Arkansas Beauty School-Little RockLittle Rock · private for-profit · closed	$21,161	$20,578	$14,852	70%
2	Academy of Salon and SpaFort Smith · private for-profit	$19,443	$19,339	$7,900	41%
3	The Salon Professional Academy (Arkansas)Sherwood · private for-profit	$18,091	$24,288	$9,833	54%
4	Designer Barber & Stylist SchoolFort Smith · private for-profit	$17,460	$17,466	$16,500	95%
5	Arkansas Technical SchoolNorth Little Rock · private for-profit	$17,388	$20,977	$16,500	95%
6	Career Academy of Hair DesignSpringdale · private for-profit	$16,574	$20,764	$9,855	59%
7	Arkansas State University-NewportNewport · public	$15,140	Not reported	$7,250	48%
8	Paul Mitchell the School-Little RockNorth Little Rock · private for-profit	$14,898	$20,772	$15,471	104%
9	New Tyler Barber CollegeNorth Little Rock · private for-profit	$14,513	$17,263	$11,000	76%
10	Arthur's Beauty College (Conway, Arkansas)Conway · private for-profit	$14,388	$23,825	$9,833	68%
11	Arthur's Beauty College (Jonesboro, Arkansas)Jonesboro · private for-profit	$14,085	$13,295	$12,841	91%
12	Paul Mitchell the School-ArkansasFayetteville · private for-profit	$14,040	$25,707	$12,500	89%
13	Searcy Beauty CollegeSearcy · private for-profit	$13,984	$19,223	$15,473	111%
14	Washington Barber CollegeLittle Rock · private for-profit	$12,496	$15,181	$14,763	118%
15	Academy of Professional CosmetologyRogers · private for-profit	$11,572	$27,029	$8,498	73%
16	University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology (Arkansas)El Dorado · private for-profit	$11,050	$17,219	$10,912	99%
17	University of Arkansas Community College Rich MountainMena · public	$9,998	$10,392	Not reported	Not reported

University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain reports pay but not debt, so it is ranked only by pay. One of these schools has since closed. One more program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.

Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas cosmetology program

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 16 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock$21,161
Academy of Salon and Spa$19,443
The Salon Professional Academy (Arkansas)$18,091
Designer Barber & Stylist School$17,460
Arkansas Technical School$17,388

Lowest median debt

Arkansas State University-Newport$7,250
Academy of Salon and Spa$7,900
Academy of Professional Cosmetology$8,498
The Salon Professional Academy (Arkansas)$9,833
Arthur's Beauty College (Conway, Arkansas)$9,833

Lowest debt for the pay

"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.

What hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn in Arkansas

Pay for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Arkansas, across all experience levels, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$28,830

Median pay in Arkansas. 1,410 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $23,920Top 10%: $49,990

Common questions

Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock in Little Rock reports the highest median first-year pay, $21,161. Its median federal debt is $14,852. The school has since closed.

Cosmetology (Certificate) programs in the US, ranked961 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
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 Arkansas rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Medians are across the cosmetology certificate programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.

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
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024