Which Iowa cosmetology program has the lowest debt?

La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology reports the lowest median federal debt, $8,582, with first-year pay of $23,313.

How much do cosmetology graduates earn in Iowa?

The median across 13 Iowa cosmetology certificate programs is $20,098 in the first year after graduating and $27,479 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Iowa earn a median of $35,700 across all experience levels.

How many cosmetology certificate programs are in Iowa?

13 Iowa programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 13 of them also report federal debt.

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

13 programs report first-year pay
13 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 Iowa cosmetology certificate program pays its graduates $20,098 in their first year, $2,851 more than the national median. Aveda Institute-Des Moines reports the highest first-year pay ($27,081), and La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology the lowest median debt ($8,582).

Median first-year pay$20,098National $17,247

Median pay after 5 years$27,479National $22,164

Median federal debt$11,350National $9,833

Debt-to-earnings52%National 55%

All 13 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	Aveda Institute-Des MoinesWest Des Moines · private for-profit	$27,081	$39,184	$12,000	44%
2	PCI Academy-AmesAmes · private for-profit	$24,178	$30,439	$10,570	44%
3	Capri College-Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids · private for-profit	$23,586	$27,452	$11,681	50%
4	La James College of Hairstyling and CosmetologyMason City · private for-profit	$23,313	$19,351	$8,582	37%
5	Capri College-DavenportDavenport · private for-profit	$22,161	$28,743	$11,019	50%
6	Iowa School of Beauty-Des MoinesDes Moines · private for-profit	$20,355	$29,143	$9,130	45%
7	Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit LakeSpirit Lake · private for-profit	$20,098	Not reported	$12,000	60%
8	Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux CitySioux City · private for-profit	$20,000	Not reported	$16,811	84%
9	Capri College-DubuqueDubuque · private for-profit	$19,651	$25,665	$11,000	56%
10	La James International College-DavenportDavenport · private for-profit	$18,120	$25,545	$12,751	70%
11	La James International College-JohnstonJohnston · private for-profit	$17,464	$27,479	$9,116	52%
12	SOHO Hair AcademyCouncil Bluffs · private for-profit	$16,234	$28,780	$10,294	63%
13	American Hair AcademyMt. Pleasant · private for-profit	$10,853	$23,161	$14,205	131%

One more program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.

Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa cosmetology program

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 13 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Aveda Institute-Des Moines$27,081
PCI Academy-Ames$24,178
Capri College-Cedar Rapids$23,586
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology$23,313
Capri College-Davenport$22,161

Lowest median debt

La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology$8,582
La James International College-Johnston$9,116
Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines$9,130
SOHO Hair Academy$10,294
PCI Academy-Ames$10,570

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 Iowa

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

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$35,700

Median pay in Iowa. 2,930 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $26,650Top 10%: $56,250

Common questions

Aveda Institute-Des Moines in West Des Moines reports the highest median first-year pay, $27,081. Its median federal debt is $12,000.

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 Iowa 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