COSMETOLOGY SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN — Federal Data, September 2026
Cosmetology Schools in Michigan, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
23 accredited institutions in Michigan 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 23 ranked programs in Michigan, the median graduate needs 8.3 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $9,833, against median earnings of $16,062 one year after completion.
That is slower 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 Nuvo College of Cosmetology in Norton Shores, at 4.3 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Michigan institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about cosmetology schools in Michigan
The Ranking
23 cosmetology schools in Michigan, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuvo College of CosmetologyNorton Shores, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 4.3 | $5,911 | $16,575 | 20% |
| 2 | Northern Michigan UniversityMarquette, MI | Public | Certificate | 5.5 | $9,833 | $21,628 | 52% |
| 3 | Taylor Andrews Academy of Hair Design-Hair Lab Detroit Barber SchoolSouthgate, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.2 | $10,556 | $20,460 | 79% |
| 4 | Twin City Beauty CollegeSaint Joseph, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.3 | $9,500 | $18,009 | 48% |
| 5 | Paul Mitchell the School-Grand RapidsKentwood, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.4 | $9,833 | $18,410 | 84% |
| 6 | Paul Mitchell the School-Great LakesPort Huron, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.4 | $9,833 | $18,580 | 60% |
| 7 | Douglas J Aveda InstituteEast Lansing, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.5 | $9,833 | $18,082 | 83% |
| 8 | Michigan College of Beauty-TroyTroy, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.9 | $9,639 | $16,695 | 68% |
| 9 | Paul Mitchell the School-Farmington HillsFarmington Hills, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.9 | $9,833 | $17,067 | 79% |
| 10 | Michigan College of Beauty-MonroeMonroe, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 7.0 | $8,250 | $14,062 | 75% |
| 11 | L’esprit AcademyCanton, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 7.1 | $9,833 | $16,706 | 88% |
| 12 | Elevate Salon InstituteRoyal Oak, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 8.3 | $9,833 | $14,296 | 85% |
| 13 | Paul Mitchell the School-MichiganSterling Heights, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 8.7 | $12,000 | $16,464 | 80% |
| 14 | P&A Scholars Beauty SchoolDetroit, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 8.9 | $10,085 | $13,625 | 65% |
| 15 | Protege AcademyEast Lansing, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 8.9 | $9,833 | $13,261 | 78% |
| 16 | Protege AcademyMt. Pleasant, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 8.9 | $9,833 | $13,261 | 60% |
| 17 | David Pressley School of CosmetologyRoyal Oak, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 9.0 | $10,000 | $13,360 | 87% |
| 18 | Empire Beauty School-MichiganGrand Rapids, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $13,583 | $16,062 | 57% |
| 19 | Mott Community CollegeFlint, MI | Public | Certificate | 10.2 | $10,250 | $12,041 | 32% |
| 20 | French Academy of CosmetologySpring Lake, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 10.7 | $11,713 | $13,181 | 75% |
| 21 | Dorsey CollegeMadison Heights, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 18.2 | $16,500 | $10,878 | 54% |
| 22 | Dorsey College-RosevilleRoseville, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 18.2 | $16,500 | $10,878 | 35% |
| 23 | Dorsey School of BeautyTaylor, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 23.0 | $16,500 | $8,615 | 51% |
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 Michigan, one by one
Nuvo College of Cosmetology
Norton Shores, MI
Nuvo College of Cosmetology is a private for-profit institution in Norton Shores. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $5,911 and report median earnings of $16,575 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.3 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 4.0 months faster than the Michigan state median of 8.3. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 20% completion rate.
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI
Northern Michigan University is a public institution in Marquette. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,833 and report median earnings of $21,628 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.5 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 2.8 months faster than the Michigan state median of 8.3. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 52% completion rate.
Taylor Andrews Academy of Hair Design-Hair Lab Detroit Barber School
Southgate, MI
Taylor Andrews Academy of Hair Design-Hair Lab Detroit Barber School is a private for-profit institution in Southgate. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $10,556 and report median earnings of $20,460 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 6.2 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 2.1 months faster than the Michigan state median of 8.3. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 79% completion rate.
Twin City Beauty College
Saint Joseph, MI
Twin City Beauty College is a private for-profit institution in Saint Joseph. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,500 and report median earnings of $18,009 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 6.3 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and 2.0 months faster than the Michigan state median of 8.3. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 48% completion rate.
Paul Mitchell the School-Grand Rapids
Kentwood, MI
Paul Mitchell the School-Grand Rapids is a private for-profit institution in Kentwood. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,833 and report median earnings of $18,410 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 6.4 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 1.9 months faster than the Michigan state median of 8.3. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 84% 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 Michigan
Comparing a different trade in Michigan
For MICHIGAN School Operators
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