Tampa, Florida
Cosmetology Schools in Tampa, FL, Ranked (2026)
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
Thirteen cosmetology schools in Tampa and the towns around it report completion figures to the federal government, and that is what this list ranks. Six of them carry Tampa addresses. The other seven are 16 to 27 miles out, in Clearwater, Largo, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey. One more was too small to rank.
Florida does not hand you a second list to check this one against. The state keeps its school register behind a search form, with no browse-all page and no download, so the ranking below rests on the federal completion file. That makes cost and completion the sharpest tools you have here, and both of them are on the cards.
Figures in this section: Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
The 13 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Tampa, Ranked on Completion
14 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Tampa or within 30 miles of downtown. 13 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 1 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 13.
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 Florida page links the board's own lookup.
| # | School | Miles | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summit Salon Academy | 8 | 82% |
| 2 | Erwin Technical College | 3 | 80% |
| 3 | Cortiva Institute | 17 | 79% |
| 4 | Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Tampa | 3 | 77% |
| 5 | Paul Mitchell the School-Tampa | 11 | 74% |
| 6 | Fred K Marchman Technical College | 26 | 71% |
| 7 | Aveda Institute-Tampa Bay | 18 | 71% |
| 8 | Bene's Career Academy | 27 | 63% |
| 9 | Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg | 19 | 60% |
| 10 | American Institute of Beauty | 18 | 60% |
| 11 | Empire Beauty School-Tampa | 7 | 54% |
| 12 | Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater | 16 | 52% |
| 13 | Shear Excellence Hair Academy | 6 | 50% |
-
#1
Summit Salon Academy
Tampa, FL
82%
Share of students who finish
- 147 graduates a year
- $17,900 program cost
What the record shows
Summit Salon Academy teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. Of 183 enrolled in the fall count, 82 percent finish. The published cost is $17,900 for the full program. 174 graduates borrowed, at a median of $7,389 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $78 a month. Paying 81 percent over the $9,900 median buys 11 points of completion over the 71 percent median, and whether that is worth it depends on how sure you are of finishing anywhere. The school conferred 147 credentials in the year reported. Check its license with the Commission for Independent Education before enrolling, because that record and not the federal listing is what makes your clock hours count.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs from $28,130 at the tenth percentile to $66,370 at the ninetieth, with a median of $29,520. 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. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs at about 1.6 times the national rate, some 4,540 people.
-
#2
Erwin Technical College
Tampa, FL
80%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 52 graduates a year
- $4,779 program cost
What the record shows
Erwin Technical College teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. 80 percent of students across the college finish, out of 581 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. That completion rate is 9 points above the 71 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 $4,779. That price is 52 percent under the $9,900 median, which is what public pricing looks like and the reason it is a fraction of the academies here. Its 52 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 581. Ask the Commission for Independent Education 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
For cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the range runs $28,130 to $66,370 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $29,520. 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. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs at about 1.6 times the national rate, some 4,540 people.
-
#3
Cortiva Institute
St. Petersburg, FL
79%
Share of students who finish
- 59 graduates a year
- $12,476 program cost
What the record shows
Cortiva Institute teaches cosmetology in St. Petersburg, with its results published federally. Of 95 enrolled in the fall count, 79 percent finish. The published cost is $12,476 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $6,333 in federal loans, measured over 22 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. Paying 26 percent over the $9,900 median buys 8 points of completion over the 71 percent median, and whether that is worth it depends on how sure you are of finishing anywhere. The school conferred 59 credentials in the year reported. Confirm the school's current license with the Commission for Independent Education first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.
Where it leads
Around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the median cosmetologist earns $29,520, the bottom tenth $28,130 and the top tenth $66,370. 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. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater carries roughly 1.6 times the national concentration of this work, among the denser markets in the country.
-
#4
Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Tampa
Tampa, FL
77%
Share of students who finish
- 168 graduates a year
- $9,672 program cost
What the record shows
Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Tampa teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. Of 253 enrolled in the fall count, 77 percent finish. Tuition is reported at $9,672 for the full program. Artistic Nails and Beauty campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $6,333 in federal loans at the median over 272 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. 6 points more of its students finish than the 71 percent median, priced within 3 percent of the $9,900 median, so you pay the going rate for better than average odds of getting through. It awarded 168 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Ask the Commission for Independent Education 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
For cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the range runs $28,130 to $66,370 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $29,520. 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. This is a dense market by national standards, 1.6 times the usual concentration around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.
-
#5
Paul Mitchell the School-Tampa
Tampa, FL
74%
Share of students who finish
- 74% finish
- 108 graduates a year
- $18,850 program cost
What the record shows
Paul Mitchell the School-Tampa teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. 74 percent of students see the course through, out of 106 enrolled. It charges $18,850 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Borrowing is pooled across Paul Mitchell campuses in the federal file, 70 borrowers at a median of $7,232 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $77 a month. It charges 90 percent over the $9,900 median and finishes about as many of its students as the typical school here, so the extra price is not buying a better completion rate. 108 credentials in the year from a fall count of 106: the program cycles more than once a year, so the two figures are different populations rather than a contradiction. Check its license with the Commission for Independent Education before enrolling, because that record and not the federal listing is what makes your clock hours count.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater earn under $29,520, with the tenth percentile at $28,130 and the ninetieth at $66,370. 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. The trade is unusually concentrated around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, about 1.6 times the national rate, so there are more chairs to compete for and more to be hired into.
-
#6
Fred K Marchman Technical College
New Port Richey, FL
71%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 40 graduates a year
- $4,176 program cost
What the record shows
Fred K Marchman Technical College teaches cosmetology in New Port Richey, with its results published federally. Across all 306 students at the college, 71 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. Read that 71 percent as the college's rate, not the cosmetology floor's, so it neither ranks this program up nor down. The published tuition is $4,176. That price is 58 percent under the $9,900 median, which is what public pricing looks like and the reason it is a fraction of the academies here. The school conferred 40 credentials in the year reported. Confirm the school's current license with the Commission for Independent Education first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists in Florida, the range runs $27,450 to $58,320 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $29,530. Wages start near the local middle, so the question here is not surviving the first year but whether you build a book in it. Florida employs the trade at about 1.2 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
-
#7
Aveda Institute-Tampa Bay
Clearwater, FL
71%
Share of students who finish
- 583 graduates a year
- $9,900 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Clearwater, Aveda Institute-Tampa Bay is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. Of 620 enrolled in the fall count, 71 percent finish. The published cost is $9,900 for the full program. The median graduate left with $7,455 in federal loans, across 503 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $79 a month. Completion and price both sit close to the page median, 71 percent, exactly the median and $9,900, exactly the median, so the number that separates it is debt: 75 percent of the price arrives as federal loans, more than at the typical school here. It awarded 583 beauty credentials in the reporting year. From 620 enrolled, that is one of the higher-throughput floors on this page. Confirm the school's current license with the Commission for Independent Education first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater earn under $29,520, with the tenth percentile at $28,130 and the ninetieth at $66,370. 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 trade is unusually concentrated around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, about 1.6 times the national rate, so there are more chairs to compete for and more to be hired into.
-
#8
Bene's Career Academy
New Port Richey, FL
63%
Share of students who finish
- 163 graduates a year
- $18,150 program cost
What the record shows
Bene's Career Academy runs its cosmetology program in New Port Richey and reports to the US Department of Education. 63 percent of the 321 students it enrolls finish. Tuition is reported at $18,150 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $6,333 in federal loans, measured over 301 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. That is the pairing to be wary of: 8 points fewer of its students finish than the 71 percent median, at a price 83 percent over the $9,900 median. Ask the school directly why students leave before you commit. The school conferred 163 credentials in the year reported. Ask the Commission for Independent Education 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
For cosmetologists in Florida, the range runs $27,450 to $58,320 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $29,530. A narrow bottom-to-middle gap means the pay you start on is close to the pay most people stay on, unless they build a following. Concentration in Florida runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.2 times, or 23,530 people in the occupation.
-
#9
Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, FL
60%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 71 graduates a year
- $5,671 program cost
What the record shows
Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg teaches cosmetology in Saint Petersburg, with its results published federally. 60 percent of students across the college finish, out of 810 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. That 60 percent is low for this page, but it is the college's rate and the cosmetology program is a small part of it; the cosmetology department's own completions are the check. Tuition is reported at $5,671. That price is 43 percent under the $9,900 median, which is what public pricing looks like and the reason it is a fraction of the academies here. Its 71 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 810. Ask the Commission for Independent Education 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 in Florida runs from $27,450 at the tenth percentile to $58,320 at the ninetieth, with a median of $29,530. A narrow bottom-to-middle gap means the pay you start on is close to the pay most people stay on, unless they build a following. Florida employs the trade at about 1.2 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
-
#10
American Institute of Beauty
Largo, FL
60%
Share of students who finish
- 291 graduates a year
- $9,165 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Largo, American Institute of Beauty is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. Of 151 enrolled in the fall count, 60 percent finish. The published cost is $9,165 for the full program. 273 graduates borrowed, at a median of $7,600 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $81 a month. That is most of the $9,165 price arriving as debt, so the published cost and what a student actually finances are close to the same number here. 11 points fewer of its students finish than the 71 percent median, priced within 8 percent of the $9,900 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 291 credentials over the year against a fall headcount of 151, which is what a clock-hour course that turns over more than one cohort a year looks like. Ask the Commission for Independent Education 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 in Florida runs from $27,450 at the tenth percentile to $58,320 at the ninetieth, with a median of $29,530. Starting pay and typical pay are close together in this state, which cuts both ways: less of a lean first year, and less immediate reward for getting quicker. Florida employs the trade at about 1.2 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
-
#11
Empire Beauty School-Tampa
Tampa, FL
54%
Share of students who finish
- 54% finish
- 38 graduates a year
- $16,320 program cost
What the record shows
Empire Beauty School-Tampa teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. 54 percent of its students finish, out of 111 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $16,320 for the full program. Empire Beauty campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $12,090 in federal loans at the median over 987 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $128 a month. That is the pairing to be wary of: 17 points fewer of its students finish than the 71 percent median, at a price 65 percent over the $9,900 median. Ask the school directly why students leave before you commit. It awarded 38 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Check its license with the Commission for Independent Education before enrolling, because that record and not the federal listing is what makes your clock hours count.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the range runs $28,130 to $66,370 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $29,520. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs at about 1.6 times the national rate, some 4,540 people.
-
#12
Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater
Clearwater, FL
52%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 38 graduates a year
- $5,671 program cost
What the record shows
Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater teaches cosmetology in Clearwater, with its results published federally. Across all 732 students at the college, 52 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. Most of the students behind that 52 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. The published tuition is $5,671. That price is 43 percent under the $9,900 median, which is what public pricing looks like and the reason it is a fraction of the academies here. Its 38 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 732. Confirm the school's current license with the Commission for Independent Education first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.
Where it leads
Around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the median cosmetologist earns $29,520, the bottom tenth $28,130 and the top tenth $66,370. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater carries roughly 1.6 times the national concentration of this work, among the denser markets in the country.
-
#13
Shear Excellence Hair Academy
Tampa, FL
50%
Share of students who finish
- 50% finish
- 88 graduates a year
- $11,602 program cost
What the record shows
Shear Excellence Hair Academy teaches cosmetology in Tampa, with its results published federally. The school graduates 50 percent, on a fall headcount of 118. It charges $11,602 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,000 in federal loans at the median, 182 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $95 a month. That is the pairing to be wary of: 21 points fewer of its students finish than the 71 percent median, at a price 17 percent over the $9,900 median. Ask the school directly why students leave before you commit. The school conferred 88 credentials in the year reported. Confirm the school's current license with the Commission for Independent Education first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs from $28,130 at the tenth percentile to $66,370 at the ninetieth, with a median of $29,520. 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. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs at about 1.6 times the national rate, some 4,540 people.
The Two Florida Agencies Behind a Tampa Beauty School
Florida splits this in a way that catches people out. The Board of Cosmetology at DBPR licenses individuals and salons, and nothing else. A private cosmetology school in Tampa holds its license from the Commission for Independent Education at the Florida Department of Education, under the education code. Public programs run through the school district instead.
The hour rule comes from the other side of the split. Florida requires 1,200 hours for a cosmetologist license, but statute also directs the board to let a school certify a student as qualified to sit the exam after 1,000 actual school hours. That is 200 hours of flexibility written into law, and not every school uses it.
On delivery, Florida's cosmetology rules set no share of the 1,200 hours that can be done at home. The one internet-delivery rule the board ever had, covering hair braiding, hair wrapping and body wrapping, was repealed in November 2020, and plenty of sites still quote it as live. The online hour rules by state show where Florida actually stands.
Figures in this section: Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education.
Thirteen Ranked Tampa Schools and a $4,176 to $18,850 Tuition Spread
Summit Salon Academy leads at 82 percent completion on 183 students, eight miles out, at $17,900. Erwin Technical College is second at 80 percent on 581 students and costs $4,779, three miles from the center, which is the strongest price-to-completion pairing on the page. Cortiva Institute in St. Petersburg is third at 79 percent, but on 95 students and 17 miles away.
Public technical colleges hold the bottom of the price range. Erwin at $4,779, Fred K Marchman Technical College at $4,176, and the two Pinellas Technical College campuses at $5,671 each. Their completion figures run from 80 percent down to 52 percent, and they are whole-college numbers rather than the cosmetology course alone. They also lead the most affordable ranking.
The bottom of the list is where the money question gets sharp. Shear Excellence Hair Academy finished 50 percent of 118 students at $11,602, and its median earnings five years after entry, $14,984, are the lowest of the thirteen. Empire Beauty School-Tampa finished 54 percent at $16,320 and carries the highest median debt here, $12,090.
Nothing on the Florida side puts these schools in order, so the sequence is the federal completion figure, cohort by cohort. If none of the thirteen works for you, Jacksonville and the wider Florida ranking cover the rest of the state.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What a Tampa Metro Paycheck Looks Like in the Beauty Trades
Hair is dense here and flat. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro employs 4,540 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists, 60 percent above the national concentration, at a median of $29,520. Florida's median is $29,530. Ten dollars apart, which tells you the metro's advantage is the amount of salon work, not the rate for it.
The top of the range is where Tampa separates from the state. The metro's top tenth of hairdressers reaches $66,370 against $58,320 statewide, while its bottom tenth sits at $28,130. That ceiling is real, and it takes a book of regulars to reach it rather than a better first job.
Skin pays better than hair at the median. The metro's 730 skincare specialists earn $43,920, near enough to Florida's $43,880, with the bottom tenth at $28,150 and the top tenth at $76,790. Esthetician pay sets that against the national figures.
Nail work is the odd one. The metro counts only 500 manicurists and pedicurists, about a third of the national concentration, at a median of $38,330, above both hair and Florida's own nail median of $37,840. Fewer people, better pay. Nail technician pay has the national spread, and booth renters sit outside every figure on this page.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Tampa
Median annual pay in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $29,520 against $29,530 across Florida, with 4,540 employed in the metro. Booth renters and salon owners are self-employed and outside the survey, so these figures describe stylists on a payroll.
- Estheticians $43,920 $43,920
- Nail technicians $38,330 $38,330
- Cosmetologists $29,520 $29,520
| Occupation | Metro median | Florida median |
|---|---|---|
| Estheticians | $43,920 | $43,880 |
| Nail technicians | $38,330 | $37,840 |
| Cosmetologists | $29,520 | $29,530 |
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 Tampa
Answers draw on Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.
How many hours do you need to become a cosmetologist in Tampa?
Who licenses cosmetology schools in Tampa?
What is the cheapest cosmetology school on the Tampa list?
Which Tampa beauty school has the highest completion rate?
What does a cosmetologist earn in Tampa?
Can you take cosmetology classes online in Tampa?
Sources
- Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education, school license records, read 2026-08-31. Hour requirement for a cosmetologist license: 1,200 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 Tampa. 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area.