US College Programs

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

  • 7 programs report first-year pay
  • 7 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 Nevada cosmetology certificate program pays its graduates $17,300 in their first year, $53 more than the national median. International Academy of Style reports the highest first-year pay ($26,349), and L Makeup Institute the lowest median debt ($6,702).

Median first-year pay$17,300National $17,247
Median pay after 5 years$23,010National $22,164
Median federal debt$9,468National $9,833
Debt-to-earnings53%National 55%

All 7 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.

Debt and first-year pay at every Nevada cosmetology program

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 7 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

  1. International Academy of Style$26,349
  2. Paul Mitchell the School-Reno$19,523
  3. Casal Institute of Nevada$19,225
  4. L Makeup Institute$17,300
  5. Paul Mitchell the School-Las Vegas$16,820

Lowest median debt

  1. L Makeup Institute$6,702
  2. Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Reno$7,917
  3. International Academy of Style$9,391
  4. Academy of Hair Design-Las Vegas$9,468
  5. Casal Institute of Nevada$9,500

Lowest debt for the pay

  1. International Academy of Style36%
  2. L Makeup Institute39%
  3. Casal Institute of Nevada49%
  4. Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Reno53%
  5. Paul Mitchell the School-Reno54%

"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 Nevada

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

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$33,840

Median pay in Nevada. 1,940 people work in this job in Nevada. 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%: $26,160Top 10%: $64,300

Common questions

International Academy of Style in Reno reports the highest median first-year pay, $26,349. Its median federal debt is $9,391.

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 Nevada 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