BEAUTY SCHOOLS IN PENNSYLVANIA — Federal Data, September 2026
Beauty Schools in Pennsylvania, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
41 accredited institutions in Pennsylvania 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 41 ranked programs in Pennsylvania, the median graduate needs 9.9 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $13,381, against median earnings of $16,192 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 beauty schools ranking. The best performer in the state is Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork in Lancaster, at 4.4 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Pennsylvania institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about beauty schools in Pennsylvania
The Ranking
41 beauty schools in Pennsylvania, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic BodyworkLancaster, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 4.4 | $7,208 | $19,624 | 70% |
| 2 | South Hills Beauty AcademyPittsburgh, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 4.4 | $7,662 | $20,852 | 94% |
| 3 | Altoona Beauty School IncAltoona, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 5.0 | $7,544 | $18,188 | 92% |
| 4 | The Salon Professional Academy-AltoonaAltoona, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 6.3 | $9,936 | $19,048 | 91% |
| 5 | Penn Commercial Business/Technical SchoolWashington, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 6.5 | $11,318 | $20,871 | 84% |
| 6 | Douglas Education CenterMonessen, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 6.8 | $11,646 | $20,532 | 88% |
| 7 | Butler Beauty AcademyButler, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.1 | $8,028 | $13,502 | 77% |
| 8 | Butler Beauty Academy-Kittanning Beauty AcademyKittanning, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.1 | $8,028 | $13,502 | 71% |
| 9 | Butler Beauty Academy-New Castle Beauty AcademyNew Castle, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.1 | $8,028 | $13,502 | 57% |
| 10 | Metro Beauty AcademyAllentown, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.6 | $13,381 | $21,226 | 96% |
| 11 | Bella Capelli AcademyMonroeville, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 7.7 | $10,400 | $16,192 | 76% |
| 12 | Beauty Culture School LLCFeasterville, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 8.3 | $10,902 | $15,797 | 91% |
| 13 | The Beauty Institute-AmblerAmbler, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 8.8 | $11,705 | $15,977 | 68% |
| 14 | Premier Barber InstituteNorristown, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 8.8 | $13,583 | $18,424 | 70% |
| 15 | The Beauty InstituteWhitehall, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 8.9 | $11,234 | $15,063 | 68% |
| 16 | Empire Beauty School-PottsvillePottsville, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 8.9 | $13,849 | $18,639 | 60% |
| 17 | Great Lakes Institute of TechnologyErie, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.0 | $12,253 | $16,280 | 64% |
| 18 | Barber School of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.1 | $13,583 | $17,890 | 65% |
| 19 | Laurel Technical InstituteUniontown, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.3 | $12,000 | $15,447 | 69% |
| 20 | Laurel Technical InstituteHermitage, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.5 | $13,600 | $17,251 | 73% |
| 21 | Empire Beauty School-LancasterLancaster, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 85% |
| 22 | Empire Beauty School-Shamokin DamShamokin Dam, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 82% |
| 23 | Empire Beauty School-Lehigh ValleyWhitehall, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 67% |
| 24 | Empire Beauty School-MonroevilleMonroeville, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 71% |
| 25 | Empire Beauty School-West MifflinWest Mifflin, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 52% |
| 26 | Empire Beauty School-SpringfieldSpringfield, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 9.9 | $13,583 | $16,429 | 63% |
| 27 | Empire Beauty School-LebanonLebanon, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $13,583 | $16,062 | 68% |
| 28 | Empire Beauty School-HarrisburgHarrisburg, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $13,583 | $16,062 | 72% |
| 29 | The Beauty InstituteStroudsburg, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $12,696 | $15,101 | 76% |
| 30 | Empire Beauty School-Center City PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $13,583 | $16,062 | 36% |
| 31 | Empire Beauty School-North HillsPittsburgh, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.1 | $13,583 | $16,062 | 47% |
| 32 | Barber and Beauty Academy of PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.2 | $12,588 | $14,803 | 96% |
| 33 | Jean Madeline Aveda InstitutePhiladelphia, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.3 | $12,028 | $14,081 | 80% |
| 34 | Empire Beauty School-YorkYork, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.4 | $13,583 | $15,679 | 74% |
| 35 | Empire Beauty School-Wyoming ValleyMoosic, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.4 | $13,583 | $15,679 | 77% |
| 36 | Empire Beauty School-ReadingReading, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.4 | $13,583 | $15,679 | 82% |
| 37 | Empire Beauty School-CheltenhamWyncote, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 10.4 | $13,583 | $15,679 | 51% |
| 38 | Empire Beauty School-NE PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 11.6 | $16,500 | $17,113 | 82% |
| 39 | Empire Beauty School-HanoverHanover, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 11.6 | $16,500 | $17,113 | 84% |
| 40 | American Barber and Beauty AcademyReading, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 13.1 | $13,308 | $12,155 | 88% |
| 41 | Venus Beauty AcademyAston, PA | for-profit | Certificate | 15.3 | $10,777 | $8,464 | 85% |
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 Pennsylvania, one by one
Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork is a private for-profit institution in Lancaster. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $7,208 and report median earnings of $19,624 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.4 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 5.5 months faster than the Pennsylvania state median of 9.9. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 70% completion rate.
South Hills Beauty Academy
Pittsburgh, PA
South Hills Beauty Academy is a private for-profit institution in Pittsburgh. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $7,662 and report median earnings of $20,852 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 4.4 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 5.5 months faster than the Pennsylvania state median of 9.9. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 94% completion rate.
Altoona Beauty School Inc
Altoona, PA
Altoona Beauty School Inc is a private for-profit institution in Altoona. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $7,544 and report median earnings of $18,188 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 5.0 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 4.9 months faster than the Pennsylvania state median of 9.9. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 92% completion rate.
The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona
Altoona, PA
The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona is a private for-profit institution in Altoona. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $9,936 and report median earnings of $19,048 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 6.3 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and 3.6 months faster than the Pennsylvania state median of 9.9. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 91% completion rate.
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School
Washington, PA
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School is a private for-profit institution in Washington. Its cosmetology graduates leave with a median federal debt of $11,318 and report median earnings of $20,871 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 6.5 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 3.4 months faster than the Pennsylvania state median of 9.9. 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 Pennsylvania
Comparing a different trade in Pennsylvania
For PENNSYLVANIA School Operators
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