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Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina
68 schools in North Carolina offer cosmetology-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Federal program data groups cosmetology with barbering — schools below may offer any of these.
Occupation pay is what working cosmetology professionals in North Carolina earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.
Cosmetology licensing in North Carolina: State license required
North Carolina requires a state cosmetologist license from the North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. The full license takes 1,500 hours in an approved cosmetic art school plus passage of the State Board written and practical exams at 75% or higher; a limited Apprentice Cosmetologist license (supervised work only) is available at 1,200 school hours. There is no salon-apprenticeship substitute for school, and licensees complete 8 hours of continuing education per year; a pending 2025-26 bill (SB 808) proposing a cut to 1,200 hours had not become law as of the board's latest guidance.
Official source: North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners · Exam: State Board written and practical examinations with a score of 75% or higher · Typical requirement: 1,500 hours in an approved cosmetic art school cosmetologist curriculum plus required practical performances; a separate Apprentice Cosmetologist license is available at 1,200 school hours (70% exam pass, supervised work only)
Official license records related to cosmetology in North Carolina
From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:
- Apprentice (Cosmetology) — NC State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- Cosmetic Art Shop — NC State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- Cosmetology — NC State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- Cosmetic Art School — NC State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- Apprentice Barber — NC Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners
- Barber School — NC Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners
Wage and license data provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and Minnesota DEED.
Schools, ranked by earnings per tuition dollar
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Community College | Shelby | public | $995 | 30.6% | $33,755 |
| Piedmont Community College | Roxboro | public | $1,095 | 39.5% | $33,274 |
| Pamlico Community College | Grantsboro | public | $1,321 | 55.3% | $30,005 |
| Johnston Community College | Smithfield | public | $1,776 | 40.5% | $37,310 |
| Rockingham Community College | Wentworth | public | $2,060 | 32.3% | $32,480 |
| James Sprunt Community College | Kenansville | public | $1,863 | 41% | $29,307 |
| College of the Albemarle | Elizabeth City | public | $2,253 | 34% | $33,234 |
| Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte | public | $3,345 | 24% | $37,865 |
| Sampson Community College | Clinton | public | $3,108 | 36.5% | $33,409 |
| Nash Community College | Rocky Mount | public | $3,338 | 27.8% | $34,912 |
| Vance-Granville Community College | Henderson | public | $3,286 | 31.9% | $34,304 |
| Craven Community College | New Bern | public | $3,289 | 36.7% | $34,231 |
| Robeson Community College | Lumberton | public | $2,892 | 37% | $29,036 |
| Martin Community College | Williamston | public | $2,676 | 36% | $26,016 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville | public | $3,589 | 28.2% | $31,861 |
| Lenoir Community College | Kinston | public | $4,127 | 36.3% | $33,866 |
| Sandhills Community College | Pinehurst | public | $4,157 | 35.9% | $31,656 |
| Surry Community College | Dobson | public | $4,961 | 47% | $36,012 |
| Southwestern Community College | Sylva | public | $5,207 | 41.4% | $34,145 |
| Stanly Community College | Albemarle | public | $5,721 | 37.7% | $36,686 |
| Blue Ridge Community College | Flat Rock | public | $5,756 | 48.8% | $36,324 |
| Central Carolina Community College | Sanford | public | $5,446 | 41.6% | $33,525 |
| Mayland Community College | Spruce Pine | public | $5,861 | 38.7% | $34,663 |
| Leons Beauty School Inc | Greensboro | private for-profit | $4,799 | 79.2% | $26,958 |
| Alamance Community College | Graham | public | $6,109 | 33.1% | $34,241 |
| Gaston College | Dallas | public | $6,592 | 44.1% | $35,386 |
| Western Piedmont Community College | Morganton | public | $6,448 | 37% | $34,195 |
| Roanoke-Chowan Community College | Ahoskie | public | $5,570 | 20.4% | $29,324 |
| Haywood Community College | Clyde | public | $6,723 | 39.7% | $34,770 |
| Mitchell Community College | Statesville | public | $6,481 | 34.9% | $33,298 |
| Beaufort County Community College | Washington | public | $6,500 | 42.7% | $32,519 |
| Randolph Community College | Asheboro | public | $6,918 | 37.6% | $33,336 |
| Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh | public | $8,759 | 31.8% | $41,769 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | Salisbury | public | $7,981 | 32% | $34,936 |
| McDowell Technical Community College | Marion | public | $7,784 | 34.4% | $33,035 |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | Thomasville | public | $8,753 | 38.3% | $36,337 |
| Tri-County Community College | Murphy | public | $7,799 | 34% | $32,232 |
| Brunswick Community College | Bolivia | public | $9,009 | 38.6% | $36,668 |
| Cape Fear Community College | Wilmington | public | $9,610 | 39.7% | $38,654 |
| Coastal Carolina Community College | Jacksonville | public | $9,461 | 32.7% | $36,444 |
| Catawba Valley Community College | Hickory | public | $10,528 | 34% | $36,977 |
| Halifax Community College | Weldon | public | $9,040 | 37.3% | $31,644 |
| Southeastern Community College | Whiteville | public | $9,148 | 37.7% | $30,284 |
| Bladen Community College | Dublin | public | $9,551 | 23.7% | $30,591 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute | Hudson | public | $10,810 | 32.8% | $34,515 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville | public | $11,602 | 33.6% | $36,048 |
| Carteret Community College | Morehead City | public | $10,764 | 37.5% | $33,357 |
| Isothermal Community College | Spindale | public | $10,758 | 41.2% | $33,325 |
| Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown | public | $15,002 | 27.4% | $33,934 |
| Empire Beauty School-Concord | Concord | private for-profit | $14,750 | 54.5% | $23,925 |
| Empire Beauty School-Pineville | Charlotte | private for-profit | $15,672 | 50.8% | $23,925 |
| Empire Beauty School-Charlotte | Charlotte | private for-profit | $16,089 | 33.3% | $24,022 |
| Empire Beauty School-Winston-Salem | Winston-Salem | private for-profit | $16,503 | 35.3% | $24,397 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Fayetteville | Fayetteville | private for-profit | $18,496 | 65.7% | $26,696 |
| Empire Beauty School-West Greensboro | Greensboro | private for-profit | $16,932 | 42.7% | $24,407 |
| Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology | Mooresville | private for-profit | $17,000 | 46.3% | $22,786 |
| Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | private for-profit | $20,736 | 78.4% | $26,873 |
| Winston Salem Barber School | Winston-Salem | private for-profit | $14,610 | 65.3% | $16,389 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Charlotte | Charlotte | private for-profit | $23,033 | 54.2% | $23,966 |
| College of Wilmington | Wilmington | private for-profit | $23,108 | 27.7% | $19,235 |
| Edgecombe Community College | Tarboro | public | not reported | 38.7% | $33,267 |
| Carolina College of Hair Design Inc | Asheville | private for-profit | $13,396 | 75.3% | not reported |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh | Raleigh | private for-profit | $18,166 | 41.5% | not reported |
| Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design | Greenville | private for-profit | $11,495 | 75.5% | not reported |
| Beyond Measure Barbering Institute | Mebane | private for-profit | not reported | 64.7% | not reported |
| Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College | Durham | private for-profit | $11,819 | not reported | not reported |
| No Grease Barber School | Charlotte | private for-profit | $20,795 | 86.1% | not reported |
| One Stop Academy | Fayetteville | private for-profit | $35,519 | not reported | not reported |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not cosmetology graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
Common questions: Cosmetology school in North Carolina
- How much do Cosmetology schools cost in North Carolina?
- The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 68 cosmetology schools in North Carolina is $7,792. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.
- Do you need a license to work as a cosmetology in North Carolina?
- North Carolina requires a state cosmetologist license from the North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. The full license takes 1,500 hours in an approved cosmetic art school plus passage of the State Board written and practical exams at 75% or higher; a limited Apprentice Cosmetologist license (supervised work only) is available at 1,200 school hours. There is no salon-apprenticeship substitute for school, and licensees complete 8 hours of continuing education per year; a pending 2025-26 bill (SB 808) proposing a cut to 1,200 hours had not become law as of the board's latest guidance.
- What does a cosmetology earn in North Carolina?
- Working cosmetology professionals in North Carolina earn a median of $38,410 per year, ranging from about $26,880 to $61,530 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.
Aid deadlines for cosmetology programs in North Carolina
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Cosmetology schools in nearby states
- Cosmetology schools in Delaware
- Cosmetology schools in Florida
- Cosmetology schools in Georgia
- Cosmetology schools in Maryland
- Cosmetology schools in Alabama
- Cosmetology schools in Arizona
- Cosmetology schools in Arkansas
- Cosmetology schools in California
- Cosmetology schools in Colorado
- Cosmetology schools in Connecticut
See all states & the full cosmetology guide →