COSMETOLOGY SCHOOLS IN COLORADO — Federal Data, September 2026
Cosmetology Schools in Colorado, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
18 accredited institutions in Colorado 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 18 ranked programs in Colorado, the median graduate needs 5.6 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $9,666, against median earnings of $20,216 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 Stacey James Institute in Parker, at 4.0 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Colorado institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about cosmetology schools in Colorado
The Ranking
18 cosmetology schools in Colorado, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stacey James InstituteParker, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 4.0 | $6,500 | $19,659 | 81% |
| 2 | Northeastern Junior CollegeSterling, CO | Public | Certificate | 4.5 | $8,500 | $22,488 | 56% |
| 3 | Cheeks Beauty AcademyLoveland, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 4.5 | $7,850 | $20,746 | 72% |
| 4 | Technical College of the RockiesDelta, CO | Public | Certificate | 4.8 | $6,850 | $17,125 | 95% |
| 5 | Pickens Technical CollegeAurora, CO | Public | Certificate | 5.0 | $9,500 | $22,997 | 76% |
| 6 | IBMC CollegeFort Collins, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $9,832 | $22,822 | 86% |
| 7 | The Salon Professional Academy-Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.3 | $9,500 | $21,340 | 66% |
| 8 | Avalon Institute-AuroraAurora, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.4 | $8,885 | $19,903 | 81% |
| 9 | Aveda Institute-DenverDenver, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.4 | $12,000 | $26,636 | 84% |
| 10 | Emily Griffith Technical CollegeDenver, CO | Public | Certificate | 5.7 | $9,500 | $20,014 | 97% |
| 11 | Paul Mitchell the School-DenverLakewood, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.7 | $11,833 | $24,952 | 78% |
| 12 | International Salon and Spa AcademyColorado Springs, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 5.9 | $8,244 | $16,847 | 73% |
| 13 | TIGI Hairdressing Academy LegacyColorado Springs, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 7.5 | $13,516 | $21,501 | 60% |
| 14 | Paul Mitchell the School-Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 7.5 | $12,822 | $20,417 | 85% |
| 15 | Empire Beauty School-LittletonLittleton, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 8.4 | $10,667 | $15,322 | 65% |
| 16 | Empire Beauty School-AuroraAurora, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 8.4 | $10,667 | $15,322 | 41% |
| 17 | Intellitec College-Grand JunctionGrand Junction, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 8.6 | $13,541 | $18,804 | 63% |
| 18 | Empire Beauty School-ThorntonThornton, CO | for-profit | Certificate | 10.7 | $14,492 | $16,251 | 58% |
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 Colorado, one by one
Stacey James Institute
Parker, CO
Stacey James Institute is a private for-profit institution in Parker. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $6,500 and report median earnings of $19,659 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.0 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 1.6 months faster than the Colorado state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 81% completion rate.
Northeastern Junior College
Sterling, CO
Northeastern Junior College is a public institution in Sterling. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $8,500 and report median earnings of $22,488 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.5 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 1.1 months faster than the Colorado state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 56% completion rate.
Cheeks Beauty Academy
Loveland, CO
Cheeks Beauty Academy is a private for-profit institution in Loveland. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $7,850 and report median earnings of $20,746 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.5 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 1.1 months faster than the Colorado state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 72% completion rate.
Technical College of the Rockies
Delta, CO
Technical College of the Rockies is a public institution in Delta. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $6,850 and report median earnings of $17,125 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.8 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and 0.8 months faster than the Colorado state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 95% completion rate.
Pickens Technical College
Aurora, CO
Pickens Technical College is a public institution in Aurora. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,500 and report median earnings of $22,997 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.0 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 0.6 months faster than the Colorado state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 76% 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 Colorado
Comparing a different trade in Colorado
For COLORADO School Operators
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