COSMETOLOGY SCHOOLS IN WASHINGTON — Federal Data, September 2026
Cosmetology Schools in Washington, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
13 accredited institutions in Washington report enough federal data on this program to be compared. They are ranked here on a single measure: how many months of gross pay it takes a graduate to cover the median debt.
See The RankingU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 13 ranked programs in Washington, the median graduate needs 5.6 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $10,555, against median earnings of $21,785 one year after completion.
That is faster than the national median of 6.8 months for this field, measured across the 987 institutions in our national cosmetology schools ranking. The best performer in the state is Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett in Everett, at 4.7 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Washington institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about cosmetology schools in Washington
The Ranking
13 cosmetology schools in Washington, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-EverettEverett, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 4.7 | $9,164 | $23,420 | 83% |
| 2 | Paul Mitchell the School-SpokaneSpokane Valley, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $10,556 | $24,554 | 54% |
| 3 | Summit Salon AcademyTacoma, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.3 | $10,000 | $22,595 | 59% |
| 4 | Spokane Community CollegeSpokane, WA | Public | Certificate | 5.4 | $7,980 | $17,869 | 33% |
| 5 | Paul Mitchell the School-Federal WayFederal Way, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.5 | $10,555 | $23,084 | 6% |
| 6 | Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute SeattleSeattle, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.6 | $10,111 | $21,785 | 67% |
| 7 | Studio Beauty SchoolSpokane Valley, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.6 | $7,917 | $17,110 | 82% |
| 8 | Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-ShorelineShoreline, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $12,344 | $25,497 | 74% |
| 9 | Victoria’s Academy of CosmetologyKennewick, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $9,500 | $19,806 | 96% |
| 10 | Aveda Institute Portland-Vancouver CampusVancouver, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $10,556 | $21,907 | 89% |
| 11 | Paul Mitchell the School-RichlandRichland, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 6.1 | $10,556 | $20,689 | 74% |
| 12 | Clover Park Technical CollegeLakewood, WA | Public | Associate | 6.8 | $11,000 | $19,389 | 43% |
| 13 | Stylemaster College of Hair DesignLongview, WA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.2 | $11,048 | $18,413 | 23% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026). Debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers in this program; earnings are median earnings one year after completion. Where a school offers the program at both certificate and associate level, the shorter payback is shown. Completion is the institution’s published rate, not the program’s.
The Top Five, In Detail
The five fastest payback programs in Washington, one by one
Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett
Everett, WA
Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett is a private for-profit institution in Everett. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,164 and report median earnings of $23,420 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.7 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 0.9 months faster than the Washington state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 83% completion rate.
Paul Mitchell the School-Spokane
Spokane Valley, WA
Paul Mitchell the School-Spokane is a private for-profit institution in Spokane Valley. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $10,556 and report median earnings of $24,554 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.2 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 0.4 months faster than the Washington state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 54% completion rate.
Summit Salon Academy
Tacoma, WA
Summit Salon Academy is a private for-profit institution in Tacoma. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $10,000 and report median earnings of $22,595 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.3 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 0.3 months faster than the Washington state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 59% completion rate.
Spokane Community College
Spokane, WA
Spokane Community College is a public institution in Spokane. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $7,980 and report median earnings of $17,869 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.4 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and right on the Washington state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 33% completion rate.
Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way
Federal Way, WA
Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way is a private for-profit institution in Federal Way. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $10,555 and report median earnings of $23,084 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.5 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and right on the Washington state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 6% completion rate.
Read It Carefully
What this ranking does not measure
Absence from this page is not a verdict. The Department of Education suppresses figures for programs with small cohorts, so a small, excellent school will often have no publishable data at all. Schools that enroll no students on federal aid are outside this dataset entirely.
The measure is a ratio, not a repayment plan, and it counts federal loan debt only. Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, which is exactly why comparing inside one state, as this page does, is more informative than comparing across the country.
Other States
The same program, another state
Other Programs in Washington
Comparing a different trade in Washington
For WASHINGTON School Operators
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