Cosmetology · North Carolina
North Carolina colleges that awarded Cosmetology credentials
46 colleges in North Carolina reported conferring Cosmetology credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2024-25, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 33 awarded a degree, and 13 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting. Graduates of the typical North Carolina certificate program in Cosmetology earned a median $26,893 four years after graduating, about the same as the $26,307 national median for the same credential (6 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
Quick answers
- How much do Cosmetology graduates of North Carolina certificate programs earn?
- Graduates of the typical North Carolina certificate program in Cosmetology earned a median $26,893 four years after graduating, about the same as the $26,307 national median for the same credential (6 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- Which Cosmetology programs in North Carolina have the highest graduate earnings?
- Among 6 North Carolina certificate programs in Cosmetology, Central Carolina Community College graduates had the highest median, $29,811 four years after graduating (College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
Colleges and what they awarded
Largest first by credentials conferred in 2024-25. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.
Which Cosmetology programs in North Carolina have the highest graduate earnings?
Among 6 North Carolina certificate programs in Cosmetology with federal earnings data, Central Carolina Community College graduates earn the highest median, $29,811 four years after graduating. Cape Fear Community College follows at $28,983. The national median for certificate graduates in the same program is $26,307. (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard.)
Compare these programs and share the results
Undergraduate certificate programs · 6 with earnings data · national median $26,307
| College | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | 1 yr after (later class) | Debt borrowed at this college (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Carolina Community College | $29,811 | $24,101 | — |
| Cape Fear Community College | $28,983 | — | — |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | $28,595 | $22,578 | — |
| Cleveland Community College | $25,191 | $13,347 | — |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | $24,940 | — | — |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | $20,572 | $19,024 | — |
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Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. The one-year column is a later class (graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20, measured in 2020 and 2021, in 2022 dollars), so it is not the same graduates' pay a few years earlier. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates live as well as the program itself. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major.
Looking for Cosmetology programs in North Carolina? This page lists every college that reported awarding Cosmetology credentials to the federal government in 2024-25 — 46 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.
How much of this field is in North Carolina
- Credentials awarded
- 1,269
- Share of U.S. total
- 9.5%
- Colleges awarding it
- 46
- Awarding a degree
- 33
North Carolina colleges conferred 1,269 Cosmetology credentials in 2024-25, which is 9.5% of the 13,333 conferred across the 35 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 46 colleges here, 33 awarded a degree and 13 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.
What level those credentials were
- Certificates: 76%, 963 credentials.
- Associate: 24%, 306 credentials.
Most Cosmetology credentials awarded in North Carolina were certificates. That is 16 percentage points less weighted toward certificates than the field nationally, where they are 92% of credentials. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.
We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?
How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 9% of North Carolina’s Cosmetology credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.
What this evidence does and does not prove
This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.
How this list was built
From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.
This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in North Carolina — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?
What Cosmetology graduates go on to do
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Cosmetology, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists | $35,250 | 75,800 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Manicurists and Pedicurists | $34,660 | 24,800 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Skincare Specialists | $41,560 | 14,500 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Shampooers | $31,470 | 2,700 | No formal educational credential |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $50,280 | 1,100 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Questions about Cosmetology in North Carolina
- How many colleges in North Carolina awarded Cosmetology credentials?
- 46 colleges in North Carolina reported conferring Cosmetology credentials to the federal IPEDS completions collection in 2024-25, 33 of them a degree rather than only a certificate. Together they awarded 1,269 credentials in the fields covered.
- Which Cosmetology programs in North Carolina have the highest graduate earnings?
- Among 6 North Carolina certificate programs in Cosmetology with federal earnings data, Central Carolina Community College graduates earn the highest median, $29,811 four years after graduating. Cape Fear Community College follows at $28,983. The national median for certificate graduates in the same program is $26,307. (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard.)
- Does this mean these colleges currently offer Cosmetology?
- Not necessarily. Completions record credentials already awarded, so they confirm a program ran and graduated students. They do not confirm it is still admitting. Every college here also awarded in the prior year, which makes a closed program less likely, but confirm directly with the institution before it affects where you apply.
- Is a college missing from this list?
- Possibly. A new program with no graduates yet does not appear, and CampusPin matches the federal classification exactly rather than guessing, so a college filing under a neighbouring code is absent. Absence is never evidence a program does not exist.