Montana
Best cosmetology programs in Montana 2026
Billings skyline. Photo by Quintin Soloviev, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ranked on the share of students who finish what they started, within half again the program's normal length, as reported per institution to the US Department of Education. In a clock-hour trade this is the outcome that matters most: the license needs the full hour count, so a student who leaves early has paid for hours that will never qualify them.
There is no such thing as an accredited cosmetology program, in Montana or anywhere else, because the field has no programmatic accreditor. NACCAS, the body most beauty schools advertise, accredits the institution rather than the course, so an accredited school and an unaccredited one can run the same program. What that accreditation buys a student is federal financial aid eligibility. The license from Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry) is what decides whether your hours count toward the exam.
4
schools reporting federally
3
qualify to be ranked
1
excluded, under 40 enrolled students
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#1
Crevier's Academy of Cosmetology Arts
Kalispell, MT
93%
Share of students who finish
- 93% finish
- 59 graduates a year
- $14,800 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Kalispell, Crevier's Academy of Cosmetology Arts is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 93 percent of students see the course through, out of 79 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $14,800 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,009 in federal loans at the median, 88 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $96 a month. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 93 percent finishing and a $14,800 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. 59 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Ask the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists 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
In Montana, the median cosmetologist earns $38,000, the bottom tenth $22,160 and the top tenth $75,440. undefined
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#2
Aveda Institute Montana
Billings, MT
83%
Share of students who finish
- 83% finish
- 42 graduates a year
- $16,100 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Billings, Aveda Institute Montana is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. The school graduates 83 percent, on a fall headcount of 80. Tuition is reported at $16,100 for the full program. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 83 percent finishing and a $16,100 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. 42 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. The license from the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists is still 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 Billings, the range runs $22,690 to $76,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $40,950. Most of that range is a following, which is why two graduates of the same program can end up far apart. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 8 percent higher on median pay. Few people hold this occupation locally, so a graduate is competing in a small pool and is likely to be known in it quickly. The occupation is about as common around Billings as it is nationally.
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#3
Montana Academy of Salons
Great Falls, MT
67%
Share of students who finish
- 86 graduates a year
- $18,200 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Great Falls, Montana Academy of Salons is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. Of 126 enrolled in the fall count, 67 percent finish. Tuition is reported at $18,200 for the full program. 71 graduates borrowed, at a median of $10,292 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $109 a month. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 67 percent finishing and a $18,200 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. It awarded 86 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Ask the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists 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
undefined Great Falls employs the trade at close to the national rate, around 60 people.
- Crevier's Academy of Cosmetology... 93% 93%
- Aveda Institute Montana 83% 83%
- Montana Academy of Salons 67% 67%
Where can you find the licensed cosmetology programs in Montana?
The licensed cosmetology programs in Montana are searched one at a time rather than published as a list, so this page links Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry)'s own records instead of reprinting a commercial directory. The schools above are drawn from the 4 Montana cosmetology programs that take federal financial aid and therefore report their results to the Department of Education. That is a large share of the field and not all of it, so a school missing here is one that takes no federal aid rather than one that is unlicensed. Look up the school you are considering in the board's records and confirm the license is current before you pay anything.
How do you become a cosmetologist in Montana in 2026?
To become a cosmetologist in Montana you need 1,500 clock hours at a school licensed by Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry), then a passing score on the state exam. At the pace most clock-hour schools run, that is roughly 11.5 months full time. Only 13 states ask less, so this is at the shorter end of a range that reaches 2,000 hours.
Time is the expensive part of this qualification, and it is only banked while the school holds a current Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry) license.
How much do cosmetologists make in Montana in 2026?
Cosmetologists in Montana earn a median of $38,000 , with the bottom tenth on $22,160 and the top tenth on $75,440 . The related licenses pay differently again, which matters because you pick the license before you start the hours.
- Cosmetologists $38,000 $38,000
- Salon managers $48,320 $48,320
- Estheticians $58,500 $58,500
- Nail technicians $33,660 $33,660
What is different about cosmetology licensing in Montana?
Montana has the most permissive distance-education rule of this group by a wide margin. ARM 24.121.604(4), as amended effective 11/22/2025, lets a student complete not just theory but classroom practical work by distance learning with no percentage cap at all, requiring only that practical distance learning be two-way, interactive and real time and that floor work on the general public happen in person. Montana also licenses 'barbering nonchemical' as a separate 900-hour credential distinct from full barbering, a split few states make. Read Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry)'s own rules .
Where do cosmetologists make the most money in Montana?
Cosmetologists make the most money in Montana around Great Falls, where the median is $42,450, and the least around Helena at $38,160. The 11 percent gap between them is modest by national standards, so pay is fairly even across Montana.
The statewide median sits at $38,000, so the metros above it are carrying the average up.
- Great Falls $42,450 $42,450
- Billings $40,950 $40,950
- Helena $38,160 $38,160
Is it better to be a cosmetologist, esthetician or nail tech in Montana?
In Montana, estheticians are the best paid of the beauty licenses at a $58,500 median. That is above the $38,000 cosmetologist median, so the longer general license is not automatically the better-paid route here.
Picking between them is a trade between scope and speed: the broader license opens more chairs, the narrower one opens sooner.
| Occupation | Median pay | Employed in state |
|---|---|---|
| Estheticians | $58,500 | 280 |
| Salon managers | $48,320 | 360 |
| Nail technicians | $33,660 | 110 |
Can you use a cosmetology license from another state in Montana?
Using a cosmetology license from another state in Montana means satisfying Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry), which decides case by case, and the number it weighs is hours. Against the other West states, Montana is its 1,500 hour requirement is about the regional norm, and pay tracks the regional average closely.
Reciprocity is decided case by case, and the state you trained in is only the starting point for that conversation.
| State | Hours required | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Montana (this state) | 1,500 | $38,000 |
| Washington | 1,600 | $59,510 |
| Oregon | $57,580 | |
| California | 1,000 | $38,660 |
| New Mexico | 1,600 | $37,750 |
| Colorado | 1,500 | $37,690 |
| Arizona | 1,500 | $36,810 |
| Idaho | 1,600 | $35,480 |
| Utah | 1,250 | $35,140 |
| Hawaii | 1,800 | $35,040 |
| Nevada | 1,600 | $33,840 |
| Alaska | 1,650 | $32,150 |
| Wyoming | 1,600 | $29,170 |
What does this Montana cosmetology program ranking not tell you?
This Montana cosmetology program ranking does not tell you everything you need. This is a completion rate, not a teaching inspection, and a school can lift it by enrolling only students likely to finish just as easily as by teaching well. It is reported for the institution rather than for the cosmetology course alone, which is exact at the beauty schools that teach nothing else and broader at a community college, where cosmetology is one program among many; each card says which kind it is describing. Schools enrolling fewer than 40 students are left out, because a completion rate over a handful of people moves too far on one person's decision to be worth ordering on. It covers only schools that take federal financial aid, a large share of the field but not all of it, so a school missing here takes no federal aid rather than performing badly. Finishing also says nothing about whether a school's hours will count toward your license, which is what the board record on this page is for.
Check a school against the NACCAS accredited school search if federal financial aid matters to you, and against Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry) for the license itself.
Common questions about cosmetology programs in Montana
What makes the best cosmetology programs in Montana rank highly here?
How many cosmetology schools are there in Montana?
Should you choose a NACCAS-accredited school in Montana?
How much does cosmetology school cost in Montana?
Are the best cosmetology programs in Montana accredited?
Where does this Montana cosmetology program data come from?
This Montana cosmetology program data comes from Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry), read on 2026-08-31, from the board's own license records rather than from any school directory. The cost and debt figures come from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard , which publishes them per institution for cosmetology programs at every school taking federal financial aid. Montana has the most permissive distance-education rule of this group by a wide margin. ARM 24.121.604(4), as amended effective 11/22/2025, lets a student complete not just theory but classroom practical work by distance learning with no percentage cap at all, requiring only that practical distance learning be two-way, interactive and real time and that floor work on the general public happen in person. Montana also licenses 'barbering nonchemical' as a separate 900-hour credential distinct from full barbering, a split few states make.
Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Business Standards Division, Montana Department of Labor & Industry)Read 2026-08-31.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , metro and state pay, employment and concentration behind every wage figure on this page
- US Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study CIP 12.04 , full program cost, median federal debt and the monthly cost of that debt, per institution