Denver, CO
Cosmetology Schools in Denver, CO, Ranked (2026)
Denver skyline. Photo by Quintin Soloviev, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
The cosmetology schools in Denver come as two lists that only partly overlap. Eleven schools in and around the city report federal completion data, nine of them on cohorts large enough to rank. Colorado's school regulator separately shows eight licensed schools inside Denver, and seven of those eight are outside the ranked list.
That gap is the useful part of this page. A school on the state roster with no federal completion data is not a worse school. It is usually a smaller or newer one that falls outside federal reporting, and most beauty schools do. The ranked list tells you about outcomes. The roster tells you a school is legally cleared to teach the hours.
Figures in this section: Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
The 9 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Denver, Ranked on Completion
11 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Denver or within 30 miles of downtown. 9 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 2 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 9.
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 Colorado page links the board's own lookup.
| # | School | Miles | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Griffith Technical College | 1 | 97% |
| 2 | Aveda Institute-Denver | 1 | 84% |
| 3 | Stacey James Institute | 18 | 81% |
| 4 | Avalon Institute-Aurora | 9 | 81% |
| 5 | Paul Mitchell the School-Denver | 5 | 78% |
| 6 | Pickens Technical College | 11 | 76% |
| 7 | Empire Beauty School-Littleton | 11 | 65% |
| 8 | Empire Beauty School-Thornton | 12 | 58% |
| 9 | Empire Beauty School-Aurora | 11 | 41% |
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#1
Emily Griffith Technical College
Denver, CO
97%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 220 graduates a year
- $11,935 program cost
What the record shows
Emily Griffith Technical College teaches cosmetology in Denver, with its results published federally. Across all 6,123 students at the college, 97 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. That completion rate is 19 points above the 78 percent median, but it is every program on campus, so treat it as a fact about the college and not about the cosmetology floor. Tuition is reported at $11,935. That price is 38 percent under the $19,350 median, which is what public pricing looks like. 220 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. That is roughly 9 percent of everything awarded by federally reporting beauty programs in the state, so it is one of the larger training operations here. Look this school up on the Division of Private Occupational Schools register by its legal name before you pay, because that entry and not this one is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial runs from $34,300 at the tenth percentile to $100,340 at the ninetieth, with a median of $36,530. A flat floor and a long tail: nobody starts far below the median here, and the people well above it got there on repeat clients, not seniority. Concentration around Denver-Aurora-Centennial runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.3 times, or 4,150 people in the occupation.
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#2
Aveda Institute-Denver
Denver, CO · Licensed school
84%
Share of students who finish
- $21,150 program cost
What the record shows
Aveda Institute-Denver trains in Denver, licensed by the Division of Private Occupational Schools. With 8 licensed schools in Denver, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. 84 percent of the 280 students it enrolls finish. Tuition is reported at $21,150 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,833 in federal loans at the median, 372 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. $21,150 is within 10 percent of the $19,350 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 84 percent against 78. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 297 credentials over the year against a fall headcount of 280, which is what a clock-hour course that turns over more than one cohort a year looks like. Ask the Division of Private Occupational Schools directly whether the license is in good standing, because a lapse while you are enrolled costs you the hours rather than the school.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial runs from $34,300 at the tenth percentile to $100,340 at the ninetieth, with a median of $36,530. A flat floor and a long tail: nobody starts far below the median here, and the people well above it got there on repeat clients, not seniority. Denver-Aurora-Centennial employs the trade at about 1.3 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
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#3
Stacey James Institute
Parker, CO
81%
Share of students who finish
- 81% finish
- 109 graduates a year
- $21,000 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Parker, Stacey James Institute is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 81 percent of its students finish, out of 90 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $21,000 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $6,333 in federal loans at the median, 41 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. Completion and price both sit close to the page median, 81 percent against 78 and $21,000 against $19,350, so the number that separates it is debt: 30 percent of the price arrives as federal loans, less than at the typical school here. 109 credentials in the year from a fall count of 90: the program cycles more than once a year, so the two figures are different populations rather than a contradiction. The Division of Private Occupational Schools holds the record that counts your hours; find this school on it by its legal name and check it is current before a deposit.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial earn under $36,530, with the tenth percentile at $34,300 and the ninetieth at $100,340. There is almost no distance between entry pay and the middle, and a great deal between the middle and the top, so the first year is predictable and the tenth is what you make of it. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Denver-Aurora-Centennial than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
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#4
Avalon Institute-Aurora
Aurora, CO · Licensed school
81%
Share of students who finish
- $9,000 program cost
What the record shows
Avalon Institute-Aurora trains in Aurora, licensed by the Division of Private Occupational Schools. Aurora has 5 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 81 percent of students see the course through, out of 162 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $9,000 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $6,185 in federal loans, measured over 114 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $66 a month. $9,000 is 53 percent under the $19,350 median, and completion is within 3 points of the 78 percent median, which is the cheap-without-a-catch pairing. It awarded 172 credentials over the year against a fall headcount of 162, which is what a clock-hour course that turns over more than one cohort a year looks like. Confirm the school's current license with the Division of Private Occupational Schools first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial, the range runs $34,300 to $100,340 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $36,530. There is almost no distance between entry pay and the middle, and a great deal between the middle and the top, so the first year is predictable and the tenth is what you make of it. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Denver-Aurora-Centennial than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
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#5
Paul Mitchell the School-Denver
Lakewood, CO · Licensed school
78%
Share of students who finish
- $19,250 program cost
What the record shows
Paul Mitchell the School-Denver trains in Lakewood, licensed by the Division of Private Occupational Schools. Of the 213 students in its fall count, 78 percent complete the course they started. Tuition is reported at $19,250 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,833 in federal loans at the median, 146 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. It is close to the median school on this page on completion, price and borrowing, 78 percent, exactly the median and $19,250 against $19,350, 51 percent of the price borrowed against 55 for the page, which is neither a warning nor a recommendation: the choice comes down to the visit and the board file. It awarded 153 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Verify the school's standing with the Division of Private Occupational Schools before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.
Where it leads
Around Denver-Aurora-Centennial, the median cosmetologist earns $36,530, the bottom tenth $34,300 and the top tenth $100,340. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Denver-Aurora-Centennial employs the trade at about 1.3 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
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#6
Pickens Technical College
Aurora, CO
76%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 113 graduates a year
What the record shows
Based in Aurora, Pickens Technical College is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 76 percent of students across the college finish, out of 686 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. Read that 76 percent as the college's rate, not the cosmetology floor's, so it neither ranks this program up nor down. 113 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. It is a public college, so the cosmetology course is priced at in-district tuition rather than at an academy price. Look this school up on the Division of Private Occupational Schools register by its legal name before you pay, because that entry and not this one is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial earn under $36,530, with the tenth percentile at $34,300 and the ninetieth at $100,340. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Denver-Aurora-Centennial than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
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#7
Empire Beauty School-Littleton
Littleton, CO · Licensed school
65%
Share of students who finish
- $19,350 program cost
What the record shows
Empire Beauty School-Littleton trains in Littleton, licensed by the Division of Private Occupational Schools. The school graduates 65 percent, on a fall headcount of 48. Tuition is reported at $19,350 for the full program. Empire Beauty campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $10,667 in federal loans at the median over 841 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $113 a month. The price is close to the $19,350 median and the completion is not: 65 percent against 78. In a clock-hour course that is the wrong half of the trade, and the reason to ask hard questions before a deposit. 33 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. The license from the Division of Private Occupational Schools is the thing to verify before you pay, since that is what decides whether these hours count toward your exam.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial, the range runs $34,300 to $100,340 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $36,530. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Denver-Aurora-Centennial employs the trade at about 1.3 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
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#8
Empire Beauty School-Thornton
Thornton, CO · Licensed school
58%
Share of students who finish
- $19,350 program cost
What the record shows
Empire Beauty School-Thornton operates in Thornton under license from the Division of Private Occupational Schools. Of the 149 students in its fall count, 58 percent complete the course they started. Tuition is reported at $19,350 for the full program. 20 points fewer of its students finish than the 78 percent median, priced exactly at the $19,350 median, so you would be paying the going rate for worse odds of getting through. Ask the school what happens to the ones who leave. It awarded 35 beauty credentials in the reporting year. From 149 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. The license from the Division of Private Occupational Schools is the thing to verify before you pay, since that is what decides whether these hours count toward your exam.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial earn under $36,530, with the tenth percentile at $34,300 and the ninetieth at $100,340. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Concentration around Denver-Aurora-Centennial runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.3 times, or 4,150 people in the occupation.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
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#9
Empire Beauty School-Aurora
Aurora, CO · Licensed school
41%
Share of students who finish
- $19,350 program cost
What the record shows
Empire Beauty School-Aurora is licensed by the Division of Private Occupational Schools and trains in Aurora. Aurora has 5 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. The school graduates 41 percent, on a fall headcount of 70. Tuition is reported at $19,350 for the full program. Empire Beauty campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $10,667 in federal loans at the median over 841 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $113 a month. Only 41 in a hundred finish here, 37 points under the 78 percent median. Treat that as the headline, not a footnote, and hold the $19,350 price against it. It awarded 20 beauty credentials in the reporting year. From 70 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. Verify the school's standing with the Division of Private Occupational Schools before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Denver-Aurora-Centennial runs from $34,300 at the tenth percentile to $100,340 at the ninetieth, with a median of $36,530. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Denver-Aurora-Centennial than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), read 2026-08-31.
Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Denver
Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board) lists 8 currently licensed schools in Denver. These 7 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.
| School | License |
|---|---|
| Academy of Cosmetology Arts | Licensed school |
| Accent Beauty Academy, LLC | Licensed school |
| Cuttin' Up Beauty Academy | Licensed school |
| Denver Integrative Massage School (aka The School of Botanical & Medical Aesthetics) | Licensed school |
| Elite Aesthetics Academy | Licensed school |
| JBe Beauty Training Studio LLC | Licensed school |
| Katica Advanced Aesthetics | Licensed school |
Who Regulates Denver Beauty Schools, and What the Hours Are
Colorado runs two agencies where most states run one. The Division of Private Occupational Schools, inside the Colorado Department of Higher Education, approves the school. The Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, inside the Department of Regulatory Agencies, licenses you. An approved Denver school has to describe itself as regulated by the Private Occupational School Board, so look for that wording.
The requirement is 1,500 contact hours for a cosmetologist license, and Colorado is one of very few states to accept fifty credit hours as a genuine alternative to seat time. You will also see 1,800 hours quoted for Colorado in plenty of places, including sites that ought to know better. That figure is wrong against the current rule.
Colorado licenses a hairstylist separately, at 1,200 hours, a step below full cosmetology with a narrower scope of practice. Three hundred hours is a real difference in tuition and in what you are allowed to charge for, so ask a Denver school which credential their program leads to before you sign. School license status changes too, and we counted how often those licenses lapse.
Figures in this section: Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board).
What the Denver Ranking Shows About Cost and Completion
Emily Griffith Technical College is first, in Denver itself, at 97% completion with program tuition of $11,935. It is public, and two thirds of its students are adult learners, which is the highest adult share on this list. Aveda Institute-Denver is second at 84% completion on 280 enrolled, and at $21,150 it is the most expensive school here.
Avalon Institute-Aurora is the value case. It charges $9,000 for the program, finished 81% of its students, and leaves a median debt of $6,185, the lowest of any Denver-area school that reports one. It is 9 miles out in Aurora. If price is your binding constraint, start from the most affordable schools ranking.
The bottom three entries are all Empire Beauty School campuses, in Littleton, Thornton and Aurora, completing 65%, 58% and 41% of their students. All three charge $19,350. One operator, one price, and completion figures 24 points apart across three campuses in the same metro. The brand on the door is not the outcome.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What the Beauty Trades Pay in the Denver Metro
Denver-Aurora-Centennial counts 4,150 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists. Their median annual wage is $36,530 in the BLS May 2025 release, close to the $37,690 Colorado median. The percentile spread is where Denver gets interesting: $34,300 at the 10th and $100,340 at the 90th.
That is one of the widest gaps in this trade. The bottom tenth and the median sit only $2,230 apart, and then the top tenth is nearly triple the median. Denver pays most stylists about the same and rewards the ones who build a book of clients, which is a longer game than a 1,500-hour program suggests.
Barbers do well here. The metro reports 290 barbers at a median of $61,080, well above the hairdresser median, with a location quotient of 1.88. Barber salary data has the national comparison, and the cosmetologist career guide covers how the two licenses differ in what they let you do.
The usual caveat holds. BLS counts wage and salary workers, so booth renters and chair-rental stylists are outside these numbers. In practice the $36,530 median describes salon employment in Denver, and the $100,340 figure is the top of what a salon employee here reports.
Figures in this section: Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Denver
Median annual pay in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $36,530 against $37,690 across Colorado, with 4,150 employed in the metro. Booth renters and salon owners are self-employed and outside the survey, so these figures describe stylists on a payroll.
- Barbers $61,080 $61,080
- Estheticians $54,500 $54,500
- Nail technicians $37,390 $37,390
- Cosmetologists $36,530 $36,530
| Occupation | Metro median | Colorado median |
|---|---|---|
| Barbers | $61,080 | $61,500 |
| Estheticians | $54,500 | $54,500 |
| Nail technicians | $37,390 | $37,110 |
| Cosmetologists | $36,530 | $37,690 |
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.
Cosmetology Schools in Nearby Cities
Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Denver
Answers draw on Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.
How many hours of cosmetology school do you need in Denver?
Who approves cosmetology schools in Denver?
Which Denver cosmetology school has the highest completion rate?
What is the cheapest cosmetology school in Denver?
How much do hairdressers make in Denver?
Are there beauty schools in Denver that this ranking leaves out?
Sources
- Division of Private Occupational Schools, Colorado Department of Higher Education (Private Occupational School Board), school license records, read 2026-08-31. Hour requirement for a cosmetologist license: 1,500 clock hours, cited to the rule.
- US Department of Education, College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Completion, enrollment, cost and location for every cosmetology program (CIP 12.04) within 30 miles of downtown Denver. Each card links its institution's Scorecard page.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Metro-area wages and employment for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area.