Alaska
Cosmetology programs in Alaska 2026
Anchorage skyline. Photo by Quintin Soloviev, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A cosmetology license in Alaska takes 1,650 clock hours at a school licensed by Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, and hours banked anywhere else do not count toward the exam.
Cosmetology has no programmatic accreditor, which is why nothing on this page is ranked on accreditation. NACCAS accredits schools as institutions, not their cosmetology courses, so an "accredited cosmetology program" is a category error however often it appears in a brochure. What counts in Alaska is whether Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development licensed the school while you were enrolled.
$32,150
Where can you find the licensed cosmetology programs in Alaska?
The licensed cosmetology programs in Alaska are searched one at a time rather than published as a list, so this page links Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development's own records instead of reprinting a commercial directory. Look up the school you are considering in the board's records and confirm the license is current before you pay anything.
How do you become a cosmetologist in Alaska in 2026?
To become a cosmetologist in Alaska you need 1,650 clock hours at a school licensed by Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, then a passing score on the state exam. At the pace most clock-hour schools run, that is roughly 12.7 months full time. 45 of the 49 states with a published figure ask less, so this sits at the longer end of the national range.
Time is the expensive part of this qualification, and it is only banked while the school holds a current Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development license.
How much do cosmetologists make in Alaska in 2026?
Cosmetologists in Alaska earn a median of $32,150 , with the bottom tenth on $30,900 and the top tenth on $55,850 . The related licenses pay differently again, which matters because you pick the license before you start the hours.
- Salon managers $49,380 $49,380
- Cosmetologists $32,150 $32,150
- Nail technicians $47,890 $47,890
- Estheticians $41,240 $41,240
What is different about cosmetology licensing in Alaska?
Alaska issues no cosmetology license at all. The credential was split decades ago into 'hairdresser' (1,650 hours) and 'esthetician' (350 hours, one of the lowest esthetics requirements in the country), and the same board also licenses tattooists, body piercers and permanent cosmetic colorists alongside barbers and manicurists. A 2,000-hour board-approved apprenticeship fully substitutes for school for a hairdresser license. Alaska is also unusual in naming specific commercial curriculum vendors in its regulation: the distance-education allowance runs only through courses "provided by Milady, PivotPoint, or a similar organization approved by the board." Read Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development's own rules .
Is it better to be a cosmetologist, esthetician or nail tech in Alaska?
In Alaska, salon managers are the best paid of the beauty licenses at a $49,380 median. That is above the $32,150 cosmetologist median, so the longer general license is not automatically the better-paid route here.
A narrower license limits what you can charge for, and that ceiling matters more over a career than the opening figure does.
| Occupation | Median pay | Employed in state |
|---|---|---|
| Salon managers | $49,380 | 330 |
| Nail technicians | $47,890 | 180 |
| Estheticians | $41,240 | 120 |
Can you use a cosmetology license from another state in Alaska?
Using a cosmetology license from another state in Alaska means satisfying Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, which decides case by case, and the number it weighs is hours. Against the other West states, Alaska is it asks 145 more hours than the regional average of 1,505, and it pays about 19 percent below the regional average.
Hours earned under a lighter requirement can fall short in a neighboring state, so anyone likely to relocate should check the receiving board first rather than after.
| State | Hours required | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska (this state) | 1,650 | $32,150 |
| Washington | 1,600 | $59,510 |
| Oregon | $57,580 | |
| California | 1,000 | $38,660 |
| Montana | 1,500 | $38,000 |
| New Mexico | 1,600 | $37,750 |
| Colorado | 1,500 | $37,690 |
| Arizona | 1,500 | $36,810 |
| Idaho | 1,600 | $35,480 |
| Utah | 1,250 | $35,140 |
| Hawaii | 1,800 | $35,040 |
| Nevada | 1,600 | $33,840 |
| Wyoming | 1,600 | $29,170 |
Common questions about cosmetology programs in Alaska
How many hours of training do you need for a cosmetology license in Alaska?
Should you choose a NACCAS-accredited school in Alaska?
Who licenses cosmetology schools in Alaska?
What do cosmetologists earn in Alaska?
Where does this Alaska cosmetology program data come from?
This Alaska cosmetology program data comes from Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, read on 2026-08-31, from the board's own license records rather than from any school directory. Alaska issues no cosmetology license at all. The credential was split decades ago into 'hairdresser' (1,650 hours) and 'esthetician' (350 hours, one of the lowest esthetics requirements in the country), and the same board also licenses tattooists, body piercers and permanent cosmetic colorists alongside barbers and manicurists. A 2,000-hour board-approved apprenticeship fully substitutes for school for a hairdresser license. Alaska is also unusual in naming specific commercial curriculum vendors in its regulation: the distance-education allowance runs only through courses "provided by Milady, PivotPoint, or a similar organization approved by the board."
Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic DevelopmentRead 2026-08-31.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , metro and state pay, employment and concentration behind every wage figure on this page