Cosmetology Licensing, Tuition and Beauty School Grants

There are thousands of beauty schools across the country. Choosing the best one for you is certainly not a walk in the park. There are so many excellent programs out there to choose from and non-academic incentives are plenty as well. This article will help you narrow things down by providing vital information on license requirements, beauty school grants, accreditation, and more.

Cosmetology Licensing

You cannot practice cosmetology without getting licensed by the state. In order to obtain a license, you will have to undergo rigorous training in a beauty school. States set strict standards when it comes to training length. Most require individuals to accumulate 1,500 to 1,600 hours in combined lecture and hands-on environments. Check with your local cosmetology board for the exact figures in your location. Your selection of beauty school programs will depend largely on finding ones that satisfy these requirements. Many use the traditional semester cycle while others allow students to come onboard at any time. Each has their own pros and cons. If you are going to work while studying, then you’ll need a program that has night or weekend classes.

Duration and Tuition

Note that programs may differ in duration. For instance, the hairdressing program is fairly intensive and requires 9 to 10 months of consistent training. On the other hand, nail styling can be completed in as little as 2 months as state requirements are more lenient. This makes it a perfect summer course. Beauty school classes are quite intensive. They last 6 to 8 hours a day and students typically have to attend 5 days a week. For the year-long programs, tuition hovers around $10,000 to $15,000. The average in smaller towns is lower compared to that of bigger cities. The shorter nail program is proportionately cheaper to take.

Beauty School Grants

Beauty schools courses are on equal level with college-level degree courses as far as government aid is concerned. Cosmetology students can apply for beauty school grants and scholarships as well. Do not hesitate to apply as there are over three million dollars that are available for assistance. Aside from the government, the schools themselves provide aid to promising students.

Then there are industry grants that are funded by the biggest cosmetology organizations. These include the Beauty and Barber Supply Institute, the Cosmetology Advancement Foundation, and the American Association of Cosmetology Schools.

They aim to encourage more individuals to choose this profession and build exciting careers.

Accreditation

When schools boast of accreditation, they are saying that they surpassed the high standards set by the accrediting body like NACCA. This means that they have modern facilities, excellent instructors, and high industry ratings. What’s more, students from NACCA-accredited schools are eligible for funding through programs like Pell beauty school grants.