Cosmetology Schools in Indianapolis, IN, Ranked (2026)

The 5 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Indianapolis, Ranked on Completion

7 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Indianapolis or within 30 miles of downtown. 5 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 5.

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 Indiana page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   Aveda Fredric's Institute-Indianapolis

   Carmel, IN

   88%

   Share of students who finish

   • 88% finish
   • 165 graduates a year
   • $21,575 program cost

   What the record shows

   Aveda Fredric's Institute-Indianapolis trains in Carmel, and because it takes federal financial aid its outcomes are published per program. 88 percent of its students finish, out of 265 enrolled in the fall count. Tuition is reported at $21,575 for the full program. 145 graduates borrowed, at a median of $8,624 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $91 a month. More of its students finish than at most schools on this page, 88 percent against 55, and the price is 12 percent over the $19,260 median. The premium buys better odds of reaching the exam, and the course you do not finish is the one that costs the most. The school conferred 165 credentials in the year reported. The license from the state board is still the thing to verify before you pay, since that is what decides whether these hours count toward your exam.

   Where it leads

   Pay for cosmetologists around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood runs from $23,890 at the tenth percentile to $62,640 at the ninetieth, with a median of $34,380. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. The occupation is about as common around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood as it is nationally.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

2. #2

   Paul Mitchell the School-Indianapolis

   Indianapolis, IN

   67%

   Share of students who finish

   • 67% finish
   • 100 graduates a year
   • $17,010 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Indianapolis, Paul Mitchell the School-Indianapolis is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 67 percent of students see the course through, out of 178 enrolled. It charges $17,010 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. 98 graduates borrowed, at a median of $9,811 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. 12 points more of its students finish than the 55 percent median, and it charges 12 percent less than the $19,260 median to do it, which is the right direction on both counts. 100 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Ask the state board 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, the range runs $23,890 to $62,640 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $34,380. There is a real gap between entry pay and the median here, which is the part of the trade that surprises people who costed only the tuition. On concentration, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

3. #3

   Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis

   Indianapolis, IN

   55%

   Share of students who finish

   • 55% finish
   • 235 graduates a year
   • $13,184 program cost

   What the record shows

   Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis teaches cosmetology in Indianapolis, with its results published federally. 55 percent of its students finish, out of 346 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $13,184 for the full program. The federal file reports borrowing for Tricoci University of Beauty Culture campuses together rather than for this one: a median of $7,307 in federal loans across 407 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $77 a month. Completion at 55 percent, exactly the median, and 32 percent less to get it: the price is the argument for this one. 235 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. That is roughly 11 percent of everything awarded by federally reporting beauty programs in the state, so it is one of the larger training operations here. Confirm the school's current license with the state board first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, the range runs $23,890 to $62,640 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $34,380. There is a real gap between entry pay and the median here, which is the part of the trade that surprises people who costed only the tuition. The occupation is about as common around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood as it is nationally.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

4. #4

   Kenny's Academy of Barbering

   Indianapolis, IN

   55%

   Share of students who finish

   • 55% finish
   • 48 graduates a year
   • $20,140 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Indianapolis, Kenny's Academy of Barbering is one of the barbering programs the federal government tracks. This is a specialist: a barber license, not cosmetology. The work is men's cutting, shaving and beard work, the course is a similar hour count to cosmetology, and it does not license color, chemical services or the full cosmetology scope, so it is a different decision from the full-service schools on this page. The school graduates 55 percent, on a fall headcount of 178. It charges $20,140 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Graduates who borrowed took on $16,500 in federal loans at the median, 57 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $175 a month. That is most of the $20,140 price arriving as debt, so the published cost and what a student actually finances are close to the same number here. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 55 percent, at the 55 percent median, is about what this page does. $20,140 is within 5 percent of the $19,260 median for a similar hour count, which is the going rate. It awarded 48 beauty credentials in the reporting year. From 178 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 state board before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.

   Where it leads

   Half of barbers around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood earn under $33,570, with the tenth percentile at $30,720 and the ninetieth at $60,060. The bottom and the middle sit close together here, which means early pay is predictable and the upside has to be built rather than waited for. Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood carries roughly 1.9 times the national concentration of this work, among the denser markets in the country.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

5. #5

   Empire Beauty School-Speedway

   Speedway, IN

   43%

   Share of students who finish

   • 43% finish
   • 115 graduates a year
   • $19,260 program cost

   What the record shows

   Empire Beauty School-Speedway runs its cosmetology program in Speedway and reports to the US Department of Education. 43 percent of its students finish, out of 166 enrolled in the fall count. It charges $19,260 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. The federal file reports borrowing for Empire Beauty campuses together rather than for this one: a median of $13,583 in federal loans across 802 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $144 a month. 12 points fewer of its students finish than the 55 percent median, priced exactly at the $19,260 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. The school conferred 115 credentials in the year reported. Check its license with the state board before enrolling, because that record and not the federal listing is what makes your clock hours count.

   Where it leads

   Half of cosmetologists around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood earn under $34,380, with the tenth percentile at $23,890 and the ninetieth at $62,640. There is a real gap between entry pay and the median here, which is the part of the trade that surprises people who costed only the tuition. Local concentration around Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood sits near the national average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

What Indiana Requires Before You Can Take the Cosmetology Exam

The agency is the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. It sets 1,500 clock hours for a cosmetologist license. Keep the two credentials separate in your head: the school holds a license to operate, which costs it $400 to apply for, and you earn a different license to practice from the same board.

Indiana never adopted a distance-learning rule for those hours. The board has the statutory power to authorize online delivery and has not used it, so 820 IAC 4 carries no distance-education provision and the hours are earned on the school premises, with a 10% off-site allowance. If home study was part of your plan, read which states allow online cosmetology hours first.

Indiana also sets a floor and a ceiling on your pace. You have to attend at least 20 hours a week and no more than 50, and you have to graduate within three years of the day you enroll. That rules out stretching 1,500 hours across five years around a full-time job, which is the plan a lot of career-changers arrive with.

Figures in this section: Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What the Indianapolis Ranking Actually Shows

Aveda Fredric's Institute-Indianapolis tops the list on an 88% completion figure from 265 enrolled students, the strongest on this page. It sits in Carmel, 13 miles out, so it is an Indianapolis-area school rather than an Indianapolis one. Tuition is $21,575 for the whole program and median debt at graduation is $8,624. Paul Mitchell the School-Indianapolis is second at 67%.

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis is third at 55% completion, and it is the cheapest of the five at $13,184 as well as the largest at 346 enrolled. Just under half its students are adult learners, at 49%, which is the highest adult share in the top three and worth knowing if you are coming back to school in your thirties.

Then look at the bottom. Empire Beauty School-Speedway finished 43% of its students and leaves a median debt of $13,583, which is $6,276 more than Tricoci on a weaker completion figure. Price and outcome do not move together here, and that is the whole reason to read a ranking. Our methodology sets out how the two are weighed.

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

What Hair and Skin Work Pays in the Indianapolis Metro

The Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metro reports 2,240 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a median annual wage of $34,380 in the BLS May 2025 release. Across Indiana the median is $32,830, so the metro pays about $1,550 more. Set the 10th percentile of $23,890 against the 90th of $62,640 and you have the real range.

Nobody starts at the 90th percentile. Most of the distance between $23,890 and $62,640 is years behind the chair and a book of regular clients, not talent. The cosmetologist salary data breaks the percentiles down further, and the cosmetologist career guide covers what the first year is really like.

Barbering is the local outlier. Indianapolis reports 210 barbers at a location quotient of 1.95, close to twice the national concentration, on a median of $33,570. Kenny's Academy of Barbering is the ranked school closest to downtown at 3 miles, and the barber career guide covers how that license differs from cosmetology.

BLS counts people on a payroll. Booth renters and chair-rental stylists file as self-employed, so every figure above leaves them out, and a large share of this trade works that way. Read $34,380 as what Indianapolis salons pay staff, and price your own chair separately.

Figures in this section: Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Indianapolis

Median annual pay in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $34,380 against $32,830 across Indiana, with 2,240 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.

Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Indianapolis

Answers draw on Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency), the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.