Cosmetology Schools in Fresno, CA, Ranked (2026)

The 4 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Fresno, Ranked on Completion

7 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Fresno or within 30 miles of downtown. 4 of them had at least 40 students and a published completion figure, and they are ordered on the share of students who finish within half again the program's normal length. The other 3 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 4.

Where a school's board record was matched, the card carries it. A school that appears here without one is not unlicensed; it means the board's file and the federal file did not agree on its name, and the California page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   Paul Mitchell the School-Fresno

   Fresno, CA · Board-approved school

   84%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Barbering
   • Nail technology
   • 73 exam candidates
   • $14,550 program cost

   What the record shows

   Paul Mitchell the School-Fresno operates in Fresno under license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Of 73 first-time candidates sitting the state written exam, 32 passed, giving 44 percent. The median across the schools ranked here is 56 percent. Most of its candidates, 60 of 73, tested in cosmetology, so that is what it mainly trains people to do. Its cosmetology candidates passed at 45 percent, 27 of 60, which is where most of the school's result comes from. That is 25 points below the 69 percent statewide first-time rate, which is the comparison that holds whatever list you are reading. With 5 licensed schools in Fresno, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. 84 percent of students see the course through, out of 223 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $14,550 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $11,188 in federal loans, measured over 228 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $119 a month. 15 points more of its students finish than the 69 percent median, priced within 6 percent of the $13,813 median, so you pay the going rate for better than average odds of getting through. It awarded 156 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Confirm the school's current license with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Fresno, the range runs $34,320 to $59,660 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $35,880. Starting pay and typical pay are close together in this market, which cuts both ways: less of a lean first year, and less immediate reward for getting quicker. Fresno employs the trade at only about 0.5 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.

   Exam results by license

   cosmetology	27 of 60	45%
   barbering	4 of 11	36%
   nail technology	1 of 2	50%

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, read 2026-08-28.

2. #2

   Institute of Technology

   Clovis, CA · Board-approved school

   73%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Barbering
   • 25 exam candidates
   • $33,517 program cost

   What the record shows

   Institute of Technology is licensed by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and trains in Clovis. Of 25 first-time candidates sitting the state written exam, 18 passed, giving 72 percent. That runs above the 56 percent median across the schools ranked here. Most of its candidates, 21 of 25, tested in cosmetology, so that is what it mainly trains people to do. Statewide, first-time candidates pass at 69 percent, so this runs 3 points above. The board lists no other licensed school in Clovis. Across all 1,377 students at the school, 73 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. That 73 percent is ordinary for this page, and it belongs to the whole campus; ask the cosmetology department for the program's own figure. Tuition is reported at $33,517. That price is roughly 2.4 times the $13,813 median, and nothing on this record explains the premium. Its 40 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a school of 1,377. Check its license with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology before enrolling, because that record and not this card is what makes your clock hours count.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Fresno, the range runs $34,320 to $59,660 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $35,880. The lower end of this market is unusually close to its middle, so what changes a graduate's income here is building a following, not surviving an underpaid stretch. This is a comparatively thin market: Fresno runs at roughly 0.5 times the national concentration, about 430 people in the occupation.

   Exam results by license

   cosmetology	14 of 21	67%
   barbering	4 of 4	100%

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, read 2026-08-28.

3. #3

   Lyle's College of Beauty

   Fresno, CA · Board-approved school

   64%

   Share of students who finish

   • Nail technology
   • Cosmetology
   • Esthetics
   • 25 exam candidates
   • $13,075 program cost

   What the record shows

   Lyle's College of Beauty operates in Fresno under license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. 14 of its 25 first-time candidates passed the state written exam, a rate of 56 percent. The bulk of its testing is nail technology, 11 of 25 candidates, though it is licensed more widely than that. Performance varies by license, from 75 percent in cosmetology down to 45 percent in nail technology. That is 13 points below the 69 percent statewide first-time rate, which is the comparison that holds whatever list you are reading. Fresno has 5 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 64 percent of its students finish, out of 90 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $13,075 for the full program. The median graduate left with $8,556 in federal loans, across 84 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $91 a month. The price is close to the $13,813 median and the completion is not: 64 percent against 69. In a clock-hour course that is the wrong half of the trade, and the reason to ask hard questions before a deposit. It awarded 75 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Confirm the school's current license with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.

   Where it leads

   Around Fresno, the median cosmetologist earns $35,880, the bottom tenth $34,320 and the top tenth $59,660. There is little distance between entry pay and the median locally, so the early climb is flatter than in most trades. Local demand is below the national norm, 0.5 times the usual concentration around Fresno, which is worth knowing before committing the hours.

   Exam results by license

   nail technology	5 of 11	45%
   cosmetology	6 of 8	75%
   esthetics	3 of 6	50%

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, read 2026-08-28.

4. #4

   Milan Institute-Clovis

   Clovis, CA · Board-approved school

   63%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Barbering
   • Esthetics
   • Nail technology
   • $11,859 program cost

   What the record shows

   Milan Institute-Clovis operates in Fresno under license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Its license covers cosmetology, barbering, esthetics and nail technology. With 5 licensed schools in Fresno, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. Of 560 enrolled in the fall count, 63 percent finish. The published cost is $11,859 for the full program. 776 graduates borrowed, at a median of $6,333 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. $11,859 is 14 percent under the $13,813 median, and 6 points fewer finish than the 69 percent median. The saving only counts if you are one of the ones who gets through. It awarded 421 beauty credentials in the reporting year. The license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology is the thing to verify before you pay, since that is what decides whether these hours count toward your exam.

   Where it leads

   Around Fresno, the median cosmetologist earns $35,880, the bottom tenth $34,320 and the top tenth $59,660. Starting pay and typical pay are close together in this market, which cuts both ways: less of a lean first year, and less immediate reward for getting quicker. Fresno employs the trade at only about 0.5 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, read 2026-08-28.

Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Fresno

California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology lists 5 currently licensed schools in Fresno. These 2 appear above, either because the school takes no federal aid and so reports no completion figure, or because its cohort was too small to rank. Being on this list means the board licenses the school, which is the thing that makes your hours count.

Why Board Approval Decides Whether Your Fresno Hours Count

California sets 1,000 clock hours for a cosmetologist license, written into law by SB 803. Those hours only count if the school sits on the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology's approved list. A private school also needs approval from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, and holding one of the two does not cover the other.

The approved list is a thin verification tool on its own. It carries school names and cities, with no license numbers, no status column and no expiry date, so checking a single Fresno school means running it through the board's own lookup. We looked at how often school licenses lapse and what that does to hours already banked.

The board goes further than most: it publishes written exam pass and fail rates for every approved school, broken out by discipline. Ask a Fresno admissions office for its number and watch how the question lands. Those results are what order the California ranking, while this page orders on completion.

Figures in this section: California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Four Ranked Schools Around Fresno Show

Paul Mitchell the School-Fresno is first, five miles out, finishing 84% of 223 students at $14,550 for the program. Median debt is $11,188 and graduates report $20,253 five years out on a cohort of 160, which is the counterweight to a strong completion figure.

Institute of Technology in Clovis is second at 73%, and it is the expensive one: $33,517 for the program against $11,859 at the bottom of this list, with $12,861 in median debt. It teaches more than beauty across 1,377 students, so its completion figure is not a cosmetology cohort.

Lyle's College of Beauty is third at 64% on 90 students at $13,075, and 64% of its students are adult learners, the highest share here. Milan Institute-Clovis is fourth at 63% on 560 students at $11,859, the cheapest program, and its graduates report the best five-year earnings on this list at $23,012.

Four schools is a small choice, and two of them are in Clovis rather than Fresno. If you can travel for school, the Sacramento list is longer, and our methodology covers what a completion ranking reads and what it leaves out.

Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Hair, Skin and Nail Work Pays in the Fresno Metro

Hair is a smaller trade here than the national average, not a bigger one. The metro employs 430 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists, under half the national concentration, at a $35,880 median. California's median is $38,660, and the state's 90th percentile of $68,640 runs well past the metro's $59,660.

Nail work is the bigger trade in this metro. Manicurists number 800 against 430 hairdressers, about 1.7 times the national concentration, at a $35,080 median. The ceiling is low, $46,450 at the 90th percentile, so the pay is steadier and flatter than hair. Manicurist pay is the page for that.

Skincare specialists earn a $40,360 median on 220 employed and reach $71,030 at the 90th percentile, the highest ceiling of the three trades here. One number repeats across all three: $34,320 is the 10th percentile for hairdressers, skincare specialists and manicurists alike, which is a wage floor showing through. Booth renters are not counted at all.

Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Fresno

Median annual pay in the Fresno, CA metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $35,880 against $38,660 across California, with 430 employed in the metro. Booth renters and salon owners are self-employed and outside the survey, so these figures describe stylists on a payroll.

Each occupation has its own salary page with the range and every state, and a career page on the work and the license it needs.

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Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Fresno

Answers draw on California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.