Cosmetology Schools in Louisville, KY, Ranked (2026)

The 7 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Louisville, Ranked on Completion

7 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Louisville or within 30 miles of downtown. Every one 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.

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 Kentucky page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   MedQuest College

   Louisville, KY

   82%

   Share of students who finish

   • $15,680 program cost

   What the record shows

   MedQuest College runs its cosmetology program in Louisville and reports to the US Department of Education. 82 percent of students across the college finish, out of 524 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. At 82 percent the college as a whole keeps its students better than most schools on this page. It is a good sign about the institution; the cosmetology program's own completion is a separate number to ask the cosmetology department for. The published tuition is $15,680. That price is 13 percent under the $18,010 median. Its hours count only under a current entry with the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology, so search that register by the school's legal name before any deposit.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Louisville/Jefferson County, the range runs $23,580 to $89,750 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $33,620. That is a wide spread, and it is mostly the difference between building a client book and not. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 13 percent higher on median pay. Louisville/Jefferson County employs the trade at only about 0.7 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

2. #2

   Paul Mitchell the School-Louisville

   Louisville, KY · Licensed school

   73%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Esthetics
   • Instructor training
   • $19,391 program cost

   What the record shows

   Paul Mitchell the School-Louisville trains in Louisville, licensed by the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology. Its license covers cosmetology, esthetics and instructor training. Louisville has 11 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. Of the 233 students in its fall count, 73 percent complete the course they started. Tuition is reported at $19,391 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,833 in federal loans at the median, 129 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. $19,391 is within 8 percent of the $18,010 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 73 percent against 62. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 98 beauty credentials in the reporting year. That is roughly 8 percent of everything awarded by federally reporting beauty programs in the state, so it is one of the larger training operations here. The license from the Kentucky Board of 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, the median cosmetologist earns $33,620, the bottom tenth $23,580 and the top tenth $89,750. That is a wide spread, and it is mostly the difference between building a client book and not. The metro median is about 13 percent above the Kentucky figure. Around Louisville/Jefferson County, esthetics pays a $38,750 median, about 15 percent above cosmetology. This is a comparatively thin market: Louisville/Jefferson County runs at roughly 0.7 times the national concentration, about 930 people in the occupation.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Kentucky Board of Cosmetology, read 2026-08-31.

3. #3

   PJ's College of Cosmetology-Clarksville

   Clarksville, IN

   69%

   Share of students who finish

   • 69% finish
   • 138 graduates a year
   • $18,616 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Clarksville, PJ's College of Cosmetology-Clarksville is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 69 percent of students see the course through, out of 125 enrolled. The published cost is $18,616 for the full program. The median graduate left with $9,833 in federal loans, across 126 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. $18,616 is within 4 percent of the $18,010 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 69 percent against 62. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 138 credentials over the year against a fall headcount of 125, which is what a clock-hour course that turns over more than one cohort a year looks like. 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

   Around Louisville/Jefferson County, the median cosmetologist earns $33,620, the bottom tenth $23,580 and the top tenth $89,750. The distance between $23,580 and $89,750 is the whole argument for staying past the first couple of years. This is a comparatively thin market: Louisville/Jefferson County runs at roughly 0.7 times the national concentration, about 930 people in the occupation.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

4. #4

   American College of Barbering

   Louisville, KY

   62%

   Share of students who finish

   • 62% finish
   • 38 graduates a year
   • $17,675 program cost

   What the record shows

   American College of Barbering runs its barbering program in Louisville and reports to the US Department of Education. The license here is a barber license, which means men's cutting, shaving and beard work. It takes a similar hour count to cosmetology and is a narrower ticket, and for someone who already knows they want that end of the trade, the narrowness is the point. Of the 84 students in its fall count, 62 percent complete the course they started. The published cost is $17,675 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $12,125 in federal loans, measured over 69 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $129 a month. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 62 percent, at the 62 percent median, is about what this page does. $17,675 is within 2 percent of the $18,010 median for a similar hour count, which is the going rate. The school conferred 38 credentials in the year reported. The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology 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

   Around Louisville/Jefferson County, the median cosmetologist earns $33,620, the bottom tenth $23,580 and the top tenth $89,750. Cosmetologists are the nearest series BLS carries to barbers here. A gap that size tracks clientele rather than seniority. The metro median is about 13 percent above the Kentucky figure. Louisville/Jefferson County employs cosmetologists at only about 0.7 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

5. #5

   Empire Beauty School-Chenoweth

   Louisville, KY · Licensed school

   57%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Instructor training
   • $17,145 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Louisville, Empire Beauty School-Chenoweth is on the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology register. Its license covers cosmetology and instructor training. Louisville has 11 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 57 percent of its students finish, out of 100 enrolled in the fall count. Tuition is reported at $17,145 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. The price is close to the $18,010 median and the completion is not: 57 percent against 62. 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 41 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Confirm the school's current license with the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Louisville/Jefferson County, the range runs $23,580 to $89,750 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $33,620. That is a wide spread, and it is mostly the difference between building a client book and not. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 13 percent higher on median pay. This is a comparatively thin market: Louisville/Jefferson County runs at roughly 0.7 times the national concentration, about 930 people in the occupation.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Kentucky Board of Cosmetology, read 2026-08-31.

6. #6

   Empire Beauty School-Dixie

   Louisville, KY · Licensed school

   52%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • Instructor training
   • $18,345 program cost

   What the record shows

   Empire Beauty School-Dixie is licensed by the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology and trains in Louisville. Its license covers cosmetology and instructor training. With 11 licensed schools in Louisville, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. 52 percent of students see the course through, out of 119 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $18,345 for the full program. 10 points fewer of its students finish than the 62 percent median, priced within 2 percent of the $18,010 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 42 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Confirm the school's current license with the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Louisville/Jefferson County, the range runs $23,580 to $89,750 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $33,620. The distance between $23,580 and $89,750 is the whole argument for staying past the first couple of years. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 13 percent higher on median pay. Louisville/Jefferson County employs the trade at only about 0.7 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Kentucky Board of Cosmetology, read 2026-08-31.

7. #7

   Jefferson Community and Technical College

   Louisville, KY

   35%

   Share of students who finish

   • Public institution

   What the record shows

   Jefferson Community and Technical College runs its cosmetology program in Louisville and reports to the US Department of Education. 35 percent of students across the college finish, out of 7,744 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. Most of the students behind that 35 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. It is a public college, so the cosmetology course is priced at in-district tuition rather than at an academy price. The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology 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

   Pay for cosmetologists around Louisville/Jefferson County runs from $23,580 at the tenth percentile to $89,750 at the ninetieth, with a median of $33,620. Most of that range is a following, which is why two graduates of the same program can end up far apart. The metro median is about 13 percent above the Kentucky figure. This is a comparatively thin market: Louisville/Jefferson County runs at roughly 0.7 times the national concentration, about 930 people in the occupation.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Louisville

Kentucky Board of Cosmetology lists 11 currently licensed schools in Louisville. These 8 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.

Kentucky's 1,500 Hours, Broken Down for Louisville Students

The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology sets the number at 1,500 hours, and the rule breaks it into parts: 375 hours of lecture, 1,085 hours of clinic and practice, and 40 hours on Kentucky's own statutes and regulations. Few states publish the split, and it tells you how much of your time is hands-on before you sign anything.

This board covers cosmetology, esthetics and nail technology. Barbers are licensed separately under their own statute, so a Louisville barbering program sits outside the cosmetology board entirely. Kentucky also licenses a 400-hour blow drying services credential, a short tier most states do not recognize at all.

None of your student hours can be earned online. Kentucky's only distance allowance covers 325 of the 750 theory hours for apprentice instructors, and even those have to be delivered from an approved digital platform at a licensed Kentucky school, which means online while sitting on campus. The states that do allow online hours are a different set.

One more approval sits behind the board license. Kentucky statute requires a school to show it is authorized to operate educational programs beyond secondary education, so a Louisville school needs postsecondary authorization on top of the board's license before it can run your hours.

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

What the Louisville Ranking Shows, Indiana Campus Included

MedQuest College leads at 82% completion on 524 enrolled, at $15,680 for the program, eleven miles out. Paul Mitchell the School-Louisville is second at 73% on 233 enrolled, at $19,391, and its graduates report the highest five-year earnings here at $28,111 against a median debt of $9,833.

Third on the list is not in Kentucky. PJ's College of Cosmetology-Clarksville sits four miles away in Indiana, at 69% completion on 125 enrolled and $18,616 tuition. Indiana runs its own hour rule and issues its own license. The same chain holds a Kentucky license at a Hurstbourne address inside Louisville, which is a separate campus.

Empire Beauty School-Chenoweth finished 57% of 100 enrolled at $17,145. Empire Beauty School-Dixie finished 52% of 119 at $18,345. Same chain, $1,200 apart in tuition and five points apart in completion, with median debt near $12,000 at both. American College of Barbering sits between them at 62% on 84 enrolled.

Jefferson Community and Technical College closes the list at 35%, but that figure covers 7,744 students across a whole college rather than a beauty program. Kentucky does give you something extra: the board's Schools page carries a downloadable exam reporting file per licensed school. The methodology explains the order, and the Kentucky ranking covers the rest of the state.

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

What Beauty Work Pays in the Louisville Metro

The Louisville metro reports 930 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a median of $33,620 in the BLS May 2025 release. Kentucky sits at $29,840 on 2,350, so the metro adds about $3,800 to the middle of the trade. The floor is low in both: $23,580 in the metro and $22,580 statewide.

The ceiling is where Louisville separates from the state. The metro's top tenth of hairdressers reaches $89,750 against $76,170 across Kentucky, a gap of more than $13,000 at the same percentile. Between a $23,580 floor and an $89,750 ceiling, a median tells you very little about any one stylist's year.

Nail work is thin here and pays well. The metro reports 130 manicurists and pedicurists, about a fifth of the national concentration, at a median of $46,340, which is $12,720 above the hairdresser median. Skincare specialists report $38,750 on 330 employed.

Every figure above comes from employers. Booth renters and chair renters report as self-employed and are not in the survey, so these medians describe what Louisville salons pay staff rather than what an independent stylist takes in. Cosmetologist pay and nail technician pay carry the national percentiles.

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

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Louisville

Median annual pay in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $33,620 against $29,840 across Kentucky, with 930 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 Louisville

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