Career Training Path › Cosmetology schools › North Carolina
Cosmetology schools in North Carolina
North Carolina has 69 accredited campuses awarding cosmetology credentials. If you finish and work as a cosmetologist in North Carolina, expect to start around $26,880–$29,270 and reach a median of $38,410 with experience; the top quarter earn $48,300 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, North Carolina). Graduates of these North Carolina programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $17,854 in their first year, against $17,178 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists earn in North Carolina
$26,880starting (10th percentile)
$29,270early career (25th)
$38,410median, all experience
$48,300experienced (75th)
$61,530top earners (90th)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 8,490 employed in North Carolina. National median: $35,790.
Campuses in North Carolina, ranked by what their graduates earned
69campuses in North Carolina
1,822credentials awarded / yr
$17,854median earnings, yr 1 (North Carolina)
$17,178median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)
Cities: AlbemarleAsheboroAshevilleBoliviaChapel HillCharlotteClintonClydeConcordDallasDobsonDublinDurhamElizabeth CityFayettevilleFlat RockGastoniaGrahamGrantsboroGreensboroGreenvilleHendersonHickoryHudsonJacksonvilleJamestownKenansvilleKinstonLumbertonMarionMooresvilleMorehead CityMorgantonMurphyNew BernPinehurstRaleighRocky MountRoxboroSalisbury
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh | Raleigh | for-profit career school | 75 | $22,060 | $11,175 | 14% | $23,406 |
| Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | for-profit career college | 65 | $21,282 | $6,333 | 82% | $25,246 |
| Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh | Public technical college | 27 | $21,232 | $8,048 | 33% | not reported |
| Central Carolina Community College | Sanford | Public community college | 40 | $21,186 | not reported | 43% | not reported |
| Mitchells Academy | Raleigh | for-profit career school | 21 | $20,285 | $5,500 | not reported | not reported |
| Elevate Salon Institute | Durham | for-profit career college | 20 | $20,058 | $6,333 | not reported | not reported |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville | Public technical college | 15 | $19,902 | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design | Greenville | for-profit career college | 30 | $18,617 | $8,750 | 64% | $18,057 |
| Empire Beauty School-Concord | Concord | for-profit career school | 55 | $18,295 | $13,000 | 65% | $20,725 |
| Empire Beauty School-Pineville | Charlotte | for-profit career school | 24 | $18,295 | $13,000 | 48% | $21,302 |
| Mitchell Community College | Statesville | Public community college | 32 | $18,257 | not reported | 28% | not reported |
| Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte | Public community college | 54 | $18,217 | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Health And Style Institute | Greensboro | for-profit career college | 119 | $17,854 | $8,444 | not reported | not reported |
| Empire Beauty School-Charlotte | Charlotte | for-profit career school | 21 | $17,754 | $10,667 | 24% | $21,775 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Fayetteville | Fayetteville | for-profit career school | 84 | $17,189 | $10,564 | 66% | $23,558 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia | Gastonia | for-profit career school | 30 | $16,937 | $15,541 | 56% | $26,938 |
| Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology | Mooresville | for-profit career college | 30 | $16,927 | $11,904 | 52% | $20,407 |
| Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro | Greensboro | for-profit career school | 43 | $16,897 | $13,583 | 32% | $22,583 |
| College of Wilmington | Wilmington | for-profit career college | 22 | $16,095 | $13,666 | 15% | $26,512 |
| Empire Beauty School-Winston-Salem | Winston-Salem | for-profit career school | 17 | $15,988 | $12,000 | 44% | $21,857 |
| Leons Beauty School Inc | Greensboro | for-profit career school | 71 | $15,889 | not reported | 96% | $10,311 |
| Southwestern Community College | Sylva | Public community college | 23 | $12,328 | not reported | 53% | not reported |
| Cleveland Community College | Shelby | Public community college | 15 | $11,762 | not reported | 32% | not reported |
| Robeson Community College | Lumberton | Public community college | 13 | $11,750 | not reported | 33% | not reported |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute | Hudson | Public technical college | 27 | $10,186 | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Carteret Community College | Morehead City | Public community college | 14 | $9,747 | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Cape Fear Community College | Wilmington | Public community college | 74 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | Salisbury | Public community college | 72 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Western Piedmont Community College | Morganton | Public community college | 62 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Randolph Community College | Asheboro | Public community college | 41 | not reported | not reported | 58% | not reported |
| Craven Community College | New Bern | Public community college | 37 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Alamance Community College | Graham | Public community college | 34 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville | Public technical college | 31 | not reported | not reported | 24% | not reported |
| Blue Ridge Community College | Flat Rock | Public community college | 27 | not reported | not reported | 50% | not reported |
| Coastal Carolina Community College | Jacksonville | Public community college | 27 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | Thomasville | Public community college | 27 | not reported | not reported | 46% | not reported |
| Johnston Community College | Smithfield | Public community college | 26 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Catawba Valley Community College | Hickory | Public community college | 24 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Beaufort County Community College | Washington | Public community college | 23 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Carolina College of Hair Design Inc | Asheville | for-profit career college | 22 | not reported | $5,611 | 72% | $18,046 |
| Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown | Public technical college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Sampson Community College | Clinton | Public community college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 57% | not reported |
| Bladen Community College | Dublin | Public community college | 20 | not reported | not reported | 23% | not reported |
| Lenoir Community College | Kinston | Public community college | 20 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| Sandhills Community College | Pinehurst | Public community college | 20 | not reported | not reported | 53% | not reported |
| Isothermal Community College | Spindale | Public community college | 18 | not reported | not reported | 56% | not reported |
| Gaston College | Dallas | Public community college | 15 | not reported | not reported | 63% | not reported |
| Stanly Community College | Albemarle | Public community college | 15 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Mayland Community College | Spruce Pine | Public community college | 14 | not reported | not reported | 46% | not reported |
| Brunswick Community College | Bolivia | Public community college | 13 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Haywood Community College | Clyde | Public community college | 13 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| James Sprunt Community College | Kenansville | Public community college | 12 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| McDowell Technical Community College | Marion | Public technical college | 12 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Piedmont Community College | Roxboro | Public community college | 11 | not reported | not reported | 20% | not reported |
| Southeastern Community College | Whiteville | Public community college | 11 | not reported | not reported | 44% | not reported |
| Surry Community College | Dobson | Public community college | 11 | not reported | not reported | 6.4% | not reported |
| Nash Community College | Rocky Mount | Public community college | 9 | not reported | not reported | 41% | not reported |
| Tri-County Community College | Murphy | Public community college | 9 | not reported | not reported | 54% | not reported |
| Vance-Granville Community College | Henderson | Public community college | 9 | not reported | not reported | 53% | not reported |
| Halifax Community College | Weldon | Public community college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Martin Community College | Williamston | Public community college | 6 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Edgecombe Community College | Tarboro | Public community college | 5 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Pamlico Community College | Grantsboro | Public community college | 5 | not reported | not reported | 54% | not reported |
| Rockingham Community College | Wentworth | Public community college | 5 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| College of the Albemarle | Elizabeth City | Public community college | 4 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Anson College of Cosmetology | Wadesboro | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Myrangel Beauty Institute | Charlotte | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Paul Mitchell the School Charlotte | Charlotte | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| The Dooby Shop School of Cosmetology | Charlotte | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.
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