Cosmetology Schools in Omaha, NE, Ranked (2026)

The 3 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Omaha, Ranked on Completion

3 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Omaha 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 Nebraska page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   Capitol Beauty School

   Omaha, NE

   87%

   Share of students who finish

   • 130 graduates a year
   • $18,100 program cost

   What the record shows

   Capitol Beauty School runs its cosmetology program in Omaha and reports to the US Department of Education. 87 percent of the 161 students it enrolls finish. Tuition is reported at $18,100 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $6,901 in federal loans, measured over 157 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $73 a month. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 87 percent finishing and a $18,100 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. It awarded 130 beauty credentials in the reporting year. 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 cosmetologists around Omaha earn under $36,390, with the tenth percentile at $28,080 and the ninetieth at $75,130. The top of this market earns more than double the median, which is the part of the trade that rewards a following, and it takes years to build. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Omaha than nationally, at roughly 1.2 times the usual rate.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

2. #2

   Xenon A Stephanie Moss Academy

   Omaha, NE

   82%

   Share of students who finish

   • 82% finish
   • 127 graduates a year
   • $18,750 program cost

   What the record shows

   Xenon A Stephanie Moss Academy teaches cosmetology in Omaha, with its results published federally. Of the 241 students in its fall count, 82 percent complete the course they started. The published cost is $18,750 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $9,500 in federal loans, measured over 216 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $101 a month. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 82 percent finishing and a $18,750 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. It awarded 127 beauty credentials 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

   Around Omaha, the median cosmetologist earns $36,390, the bottom tenth $28,080 and the top tenth $75,130. The top of this market earns more than double the median, which is the part of the trade that rewards a following, and it takes years to build. Omaha employs the trade at about 1.2 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

3. #3

   SOHO Hair Academy

   Council Bluffs, IA · Licensed school

   76%

   Share of students who finish

   • $22,131 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Council Bluffs, SOHO Hair Academy is on the state board register. It is the only licensed school the board lists in Council Bluffs. 76 percent of students see the course through, out of 66 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $22,131 for the full program. With only 3 schools on this page there is no median worth quoting; 76 percent finishing and a $22,131 price are the two figures to carry to the other 2. 18 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. From 66 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. Its board record is license 115107, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Omaha, the range runs $28,080 to $75,130 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $36,390. The top of this market earns more than double the median, which is the part of the trade that rewards a following, and it takes years to build. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Omaha than nationally, at roughly 1.2 times the usual rate.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Iowa Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing), read 2026-08-31.

Nebraska's 1,800 Hours and Who Licenses Omaha Schools

Nebraska sets 1,800 hours for a cosmetologist license, among the highest requirements in the country and 300 above the 1,500 that most states use. The number lives in regulation rather than statute, and the regulation breaks it down: 200 freshman and related theory hours, 200 advanced theory, 1,165 advanced clinical, up to 100 optional hours earned outside the school, and 135 flexible hours.

Who does the licensing is unusual too. Cosmetology schools here are licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, not by a cosmetology board. The Board of Cosmetology, Electrology, Esthetics, Nail Technology and Body Art advises under the Uniform Credentialing Act, but the school license itself comes from the health department.

Nebraska is also specific about what a school has to be. State rules require at least ten contracted students, at least 3,500 square feet of floor space, and no shared entrance with or direct access to a salon. Distance learning is confined to the 100 optional hours, so at most 5.6 percent of the program can happen away from the school.

That is one of the tightest online allowances in the country. Our state-by-state guide to online hours sets it beside the 50 percent ceilings other states write into their rules.

Figures in this section: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

Three Ranked Schools in Omaha, and One Is in Iowa

Capitol Beauty School leads at 87 percent completion, eight miles out, at $18,100 with $6,901 in median debt and $28,725 reported five years after entry. It teaches more than beauty, so that completion figure covers the institution rather than the cosmetology program alone. It awarded 130 beauty credentials in the reporting year.

Xenon A Stephanie Moss Academy is second at 82 percent on 241 enrolled, seven miles out. It is a beauty-only school, so the 82 percent is the cosmetology figure. Tuition is $18,750, median debt $9,500, and its graduates report $30,271 five years after entry, the highest of the three.

SOHO Hair Academy in Council Bluffs is the closest school to Omaha at four miles, and it is the one that changes your license. It finished 76 percent of 66 enrolled, the smallest cohort here, and at $22,131 it is the most expensive of the three. Hours earned there count toward an Iowa license, not Nebraska's 1,800-hour one.

Three ranked schools is a thin list, and it is worth saying so rather than padding it out. If none of the three fit, the Nebraska ranking is the wider view, and the methodology sets out what the completion, cost and debt figures can and cannot tell you.

Figures in this section: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Beauty Work Pays in the Omaha Metro

The Omaha metro reports 1,220 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a $36,390 median in the BLS May 2025 release, $2,070 above the $34,320 Nebraska median. Most of the state's 1,890 stylists work in this metro, so the state figure is largely the Omaha figure plus the lower-paying areas around it.

The range runs from $28,080 at the 10th percentile to $75,130 at the 90th. That top figure is more than double the median, and it describes stylists years into building a client list rather than what an 1,800-hour graduate starts on.

Skincare is where the Omaha metro stands out. Skincare specialists report a $58,430 median on 390 employed, $22,040 above stylists, and they are 1.66 times as concentrated here as nationally, the highest of the three trades. If that gap holds your attention, what estheticians do is the next page to read.

The nail figures need a caveat. The metro reports 230 manicurists and pedicurists at a $58,620 median, but 230 is a small group and the range runs from $28,080 to $100,610, so the middle of it is not a reliable target. All of these count wage and salary workers, which leaves booth renters out.

Figures in this section: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Omaha

Median annual pay in the Omaha, NE-IA metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $36,390 against $34,320 across Nebraska, with 1,220 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 Omaha

Answers draw on Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.