Which Washington cosmetology program has the lowest debt?

Studio Beauty School reports the lowest median federal debt, $7,917, with first-year pay of $17,110.

How much do cosmetology graduates earn in Washington?

The median across 11 Washington cosmetology certificate programs is $21,785 in the first year after graduating and $24,880 five years after. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Washington earn a median of $59,510 across all experience levels.

How many cosmetology certificate programs are in Washington?

11 Washington programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 11 of them also report federal debt.

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

11 programs report first-year pay
11 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 Washington cosmetology certificate program pays its graduates $21,785 in their first year, $4,538 more than the national median. Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline reports the highest first-year pay ($25,497), and Studio Beauty School the lowest median debt ($7,917).

Median first-year pay$21,785National $17,247

Median pay after 5 years$24,880National $22,164

Median federal debt$10,000National $9,833

Debt-to-earnings46%National 55%

All 11 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	Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-ShorelineShoreline · private for-profit	$25,497	$33,492	$12,344	48%
2	Paul Mitchell the School-SpokaneSpokane Valley · private for-profit	$24,554	$24,869	$10,556	43%
3	Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-EverettEverett · private for-profit	$23,420	$24,890	$9,164	39%
4	Paul Mitchell the School-Federal WayFederal Way · private for-profit	$23,084	$30,887	$10,555	46%
5	Summit Salon Academy (Washington)Tacoma · private for-profit	$22,595	$29,174	$10,000	44%
6	Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute SeattleSeattle · private for-profit	$21,785	$34,909	$10,111	46%
7	Paul Mitchell the School-RichlandRichland · private for-profit	$20,689	$21,240	$10,556	51%
8	Victoria's Academy of CosmetologyKennewick · private for-profit	$19,806	$17,524	$9,500	48%
9	Stylemaster College of Hair DesignLongview · private for-profit	$18,413	$21,699	$11,048	60%
10	Spokane Community CollegeSpokane · public	$17,869	Not reported	$7,980	45%
11	Studio Beauty SchoolSpokane Valley · private for-profit	$17,110	$24,791	$7,917	46%

2 more programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington cosmetology program

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 11 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline$25,497
Paul Mitchell the School-Spokane$24,554
Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett$23,420
Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way$23,084
Summit Salon Academy (Washington)$22,595

Lowest median debt

Studio Beauty School$7,917
Spokane Community College$7,980
Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett$9,164
Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology$9,500
Summit Salon Academy (Washington)$10,000

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 Washington

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

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$59,510

Median pay in Washington. 6,930 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $36,830Top 10%: $99,970

Common questions

Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline in Shoreline reports the highest median first-year pay, $25,497. Its median federal debt is $12,344.

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 Washington 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