US College Programs

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

  • 40 programs report first-year pay
  • 35 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 Illinois cosmetology certificate program pays its graduates $17,923 in their first year, $676 more than the national median. University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology (Illinois) reports the highest first-year pay ($24,468), and Larry's Barber College the lowest median debt ($3,726).

Median first-year pay$17,923National $17,247
Median pay after 5 years$23,713National $22,164
Median federal debt$9,833National $9,833
Debt-to-earnings60%National 55%

All 40 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.

5 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

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 the 35 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

  1. University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology (Illinois)$24,468
  2. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges$24,120
  3. Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Peru$22,967
  4. Aveda Institute of Beauty and Wellness Chicago$22,351
  5. Cosmetology & Spa Academy$22,096

Lowest median debt

  1. Larry's Barber College$3,726
  2. University of Spa & Cosmetology Arts$5,500
  3. G Skin & Beauty Institute (Schaumburg, Illinois)$7,917
  4. Estelle Skin Care and Spa Institute$7,917
  5. The University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology$7,917

Lowest debt for the pay

  1. University of Spa & Cosmetology Arts26%
  2. Larry's Barber College30%
  3. G Skin & Beauty Institute (Schaumburg, Illinois)37%
  4. Estelle Skin Care and Spa Institute39%
  5. The University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology41%

"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 Illinois

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

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$34,040

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $31,200Top 10%: $58,960

Common questions

University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology (Illinois) in Chicago reports the highest median first-year pay, $24,468. Its median federal debt is $11,667.

Related pages

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 Illinois 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024