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Cosmetology schools in Tennessee
Tennessee has 48 accredited campuses awarding cosmetology credentials. If you finish and work as a cosmetologist in Tennessee, expect to start around $25,700–$28,820 and reach a median of $31,310 with experience; the top quarter earn $39,990 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee). Graduates of these Tennessee programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $16,354 in their first year, against $17,178 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists earn in Tennessee
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 6,080 employed in Tennessee. National median: $35,790.
Campuses in Tennessee, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: BartlettBrentwoodChattanoogaClarksvilleClevelandCookevilleCrossvilleDicksonElizabethtonFayettevilleFranklinHarrimanHendersonvilleHohenwaldHuntsvilleJacksboroJacksonJohnson CityKingsportKnoxvilleLawrenceburgLebanonLexingtonLivingstonManchesterMasonMcMinnvilleMemphisMilanMillingtonMorristownMurfreesboroNashvilleNew TazewellNewbernParisSweetwater
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology | Franklin | for-profit career school | 17 | $24,282 | not reported | 86% | $24,045 |
| Image Maker Beauty Institute | Hendersonville | for-profit career college | 40 | $21,769 | $9,833 | 77% | $22,546 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville | Nashville | Public technical college | 47 | $19,887 | not reported | 70% | $21,109 |
| Gould's Academy | Bartlett | for-profit career school | 42 | $19,220 | $7,677 | 84% | $23,699 |
| Gould's Academy | Memphis | for-profit career school | 29 | $19,220 | $7,677 | 80% | $15,756 |
| Brillare Beauty Institute | Cleveland | non-profit career college | 55 | $18,578 | $7,917 | 84% | $21,460 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro | Murfreesboro | for-profit career school | 62 | $18,432 | $9,739 | 75% | $23,452 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville | Hendersonville | for-profit career school | 57 | $18,432 | $9,739 | 74% | $27,546 |
| Empire Beauty School-E Memphis | Memphis | for-profit career school | 37 | $18,217 | $11,743 | 67% | $21,404 |
| The Salon Professional Academy-Nashville | Nashville | for-profit career school | 31 | $18,123 | $9,833 | 97% | $16,194 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Memphis | Memphis | for-profit career school | 112 | $17,810 | $10,612 | 59% | $24,047 |
| Genesis Career College-Cookeville | Cookeville | for-profit career college | 16 | $17,462 | $6,333 | 54% | $15,788 |
| Empire Beauty School-Nashville | Brentwood | for-profit career school | 24 | $17,189 | $12,090 | 72% | $19,703 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville | Knoxville | Public technical college | 33 | $16,802 | not reported | 71% | $23,962 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald | Hohenwald | Public technical college | 19 | $16,680 | not reported | 65% | $18,463 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Henry/Carroll | Paris | Public technical college | 24 | $16,563 | not reported | 75% | $16,418 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest | Newbern | Public technical college | 64 | $16,145 | not reported | 69% | $14,677 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Knoxville | Knoxville | for-profit career school | 53 | $16,003 | $15,921 | not reported | not reported |
| Empire Beauty School-Jackson | Jackson | for-profit career school | 24 | $15,988 | $12,000 | 41% | $20,709 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis | Memphis | Public technical college | 32 | $14,785 | not reported | 55% | $18,418 |
| Queen City College | Clarksville | for-profit career college | 13 | $14,669 | $5,500 | not reported | not reported |
| TC Beauty | Johnson City | for-profit career school | 30 | $14,430 | $7,917 | 88% | $22,104 |
| Austin's Beauty College Inc | Clarksville | for-profit career college | 5 | $14,428 | $7,917 | 68% | $16,629 |
| The Hair Academy LLC | Fayetteville | for-profit career school | 14 | $13,033 | $7,330 | 85% | $28,170 |
| Genesis Career College-Lebanon | Lebanon | for-profit career college | 41 | $12,647 | $9,500 | 59% | $19,952 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson | Dickson | Public technical college | 54 | $11,489 | not reported | 75% | $19,950 |
| Arnolds Beauty School | Milan | for-profit career school | 38 | $11,184 | $9,411 | 77% | $21,783 |
| Elite College of Cosmetology | Lexington | for-profit career college | 16 | $11,083 | $5,500 | 79% | $15,735 |
| Love Beauty School Inc | Manchester | for-profit career school | 11 | $10,982 | $9,500 | 74% | $12,301 |
| Lawrenceburg Technical College | Lawrenceburg | for-profit career college | 18 | $9,868 | not reported | 49% | $15,782 |
| Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc | Knoxville | for-profit career school | 128 | not reported | not reported | 82% | $16,085 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro | Murfreesboro | Public technical college | 47 | not reported | not reported | 76% | $12,415 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston | Livingston | Public technical college | 34 | not reported | not reported | 78% | $17,685 |
| Sandra Academy of Salon Services | New Tazewell | for-profit career school | 24 | not reported | $12,089 | 33% | $19,276 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville | McMinnville | Public technical college | 23 | not reported | not reported | 67% | $17,680 |
| Sweetwater Institute of Cosmetology | Sweetwater | for-profit career college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 78% | $8,226 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crossville | Crossville | Public technical college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 84% | $18,949 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro | Jacksboro | Public technical college | 21 | not reported | not reported | 84% | $19,651 |
| Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers | Chattanooga | for-profit career college | 19 | not reported | $2,223 | not reported | not reported |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman | Harriman | Public technical college | 15 | not reported | not reported | 69% | $17,732 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton | Elizabethton | Public technical college | 14 | not reported | not reported | 81% | $13,540 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown | Morristown | Public technical college | 13 | not reported | not reported | 80% | $20,297 |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida-Huntsville | Huntsville | Public technical college | 4 | not reported | not reported | 74% | $20,130 |
| Studio 75 Hair Academy | Millington | for-profit career school | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Douglas J Aveda Institute | Knoxville | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mason Academy of Cosmetology | Mason | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Premier Cosmetology Academy | Kingsport | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sandra Academy of Salon Services | Morristown | 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.