Cosmetology Schools in Raleigh, NC, Ranked (2026)

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

5 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Raleigh 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 North Carolina page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill

   Chapel Hill, NC · Cosmetic Art School (Private)

   82%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • $22,989 program cost

   What the record shows

   Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill trains in Chapel Hill, licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. It is a privately run school rather than part of a public college. The board lists no other licensed school in Chapel Hill. 82 percent of its students finish, out of 198 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $22,989 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $6,333 in federal loans, measured over 241 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $67 a month. 41 points above the 41 percent median at a price 24 percent over the $18,536 median: the extra money buys a materially better chance of finishing, which in a clock-hour course is the thing you are paying for. 177 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. License 285 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.

   Where it leads

   Half of cosmetologists around Durham-Chapel Hill earn under $48,060, with the tenth percentile at $28,610 and the ninetieth at $77,880. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 25 percent higher on median pay. Early pay locally runs well under the median, so budget for a slow first year rather than the headline figure. Local concentration around Durham-Chapel Hill sits near the national average.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, read 2026-08-28.

2. #2

   Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College

   Durham, NC

   78%

   Share of students who finish

   • 78% finish
   • 9 graduates a year
   • $18,536 program cost

   What the record shows

   Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College trains in Durham, and because it takes federal financial aid its outcomes are published per program. 78 percent of students see the course through, out of 41 enrolled. It charges $18,536 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Borrowing here runs to a median of $10,036 in federal loans, measured over 63 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $106 a month. 37 points more of its students finish than the 41 percent median, priced exactly at the $18,536 median, so you pay the going rate for better than average odds of getting through. 9 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. That is a small cohort, which usually buys more chair time with an instructor and a shorter wait for the clinic floor. Licensing is the business of the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners rather than the federal file's, so its register is where to confirm this school by its legal name first.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Durham-Chapel Hill, the range runs $28,610 to $77,880 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $48,060. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 25 percent higher on median pay. 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, Durham-Chapel Hill is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

3. #3

   Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh

   Raleigh, NC · Cosmetic Art School (Private)

   41%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology
   • $17,814 program cost

   What the record shows

   Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh trains in Raleigh, licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. The board records it as a private school. Raleigh has 9 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 41 percent of its students finish across two years of students, out of 130 enrolled in the fall count. It charges $17,814 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. 100 graduates borrowed, at a median of $11,175 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $118 a month. Typical for this page on both counts, 41 percent, exactly the median and $17,814 against $18,536, and typical here means 59 in a hundred do not finish, which at $17,814 is the fact to weigh. It awarded 75 beauty credentials in the reporting year. The board files it under license 357; that record, not this one, is what makes your hours count.

   Where it leads

   Around Raleigh-Cary, the median cosmetologist earns $43,700, the bottom tenth $27,300 and the top tenth $70,550. The metro median is about 14 percent above the North Carolina figure. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. Concentration around Raleigh-Cary runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.2 times, or 1,810 people in the occupation.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, read 2026-08-28.

4. #4

   Johnston Community College

   Smithfield, NC · Cosmetic Art School (Public)

   37%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology

   What the record shows

   Johnston Community College trains in Smithfield, licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. It is a public institution, which usually means lower tuition than a private academy charges. The board lists no other licensed school in Smithfield. Across all 3,453 students at the college, 37 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. Read that 37 percent as the college's rate, not the cosmetology floor's, so it neither ranks this program up nor down. Its 20 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 3,453. Its board record is license 060, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Raleigh-Cary, the range runs $27,300 to $70,550 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $43,700. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 14 percent higher on median pay. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. Concentration around Raleigh-Cary runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.2 times, or 1,810 people in the occupation.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, read 2026-08-28.

5. #5

   Wake Technical Community College

   Raleigh, NC · Cosmetic Art School (Public)

   33%

   Share of students who finish

   • Cosmetology

   What the record shows

   Wake Technical Community College trains in Raleigh, licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. It is a public institution, which usually means lower tuition than a private academy charges. Raleigh has 9 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. Across all 19,675 students at the college, 33 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. Most of the students behind that 33 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. 22 graduates borrowed, at a median of $8,048 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $85 a month. Its 78 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 19,675. The board files it under license 334; that record, not this one, is what makes your hours count.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Raleigh-Cary, the range runs $27,300 to $70,550 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $43,700. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 14 percent higher on median pay. 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 work is somewhat more concentrated around Raleigh-Cary than nationally, at roughly 1.2 times the usual rate.

   Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, read 2026-08-28.

Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Raleigh

North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners lists 9 currently licensed schools in Raleigh. These 7 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.

What North Carolina Asks of Raleigh Cosmetology Students

A cosmetologist license in North Carolina takes 1,500 hours, and the North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners is the agency that sets the number, licenses the schools and licenses the graduates. Those are two separate documents from one board. The school holds a license to operate. You earn a license to practice, and the second one depends on the first being valid while you bank your hours.

Up to 30 percent of the 1,500 hours can be delivered at a distance, which works out to 450 hours of theory and 1,050 hours on a clinic floor. If online study is what makes this fit around a job, read how states handle online cosmetology hours before you commit to a Raleigh school, because the share moves a lot from state to state.

The board's roster is a mailing list. Each line carries a school code, a school type and an address, with no status column and no expiry date, so appearing on it is the board saying the school is licensed and nothing more. Nine Raleigh schools appear: five private, two public, one licensed to an individual, and one high school program.

Figures in this section: North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What the Raleigh Ranking Shows and Where the Schools Actually Are

Being on the board list says a school is licensed, not that it is good, so the ordering here is the federal completion figure: the share of students who finished what they started. Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill is first at 82% of 198 students, 24 miles from Raleigh, at $22,989 for the program with $6,333 in median debt.

Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College is second at 78%, but on 41 students, so one person moves that figure by more than two points. It is 20 miles out and charges $18,536. Two thirds of its students are adult learners, 66%, the highest share on this list by a wide margin.

Neither Raleigh school is in the top two. Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh sits third at 41% of 130 students for $17,814, and its graduates carry $11,175 in median debt, the most here. Wake Technical Community College is fifth at 33%, though that figure covers 19,675 students across the whole college rather than the cosmetology course.

Johnston Community College in Smithfield reports the same way, 37% across 3,453 students, so read both college numbers differently from a beauty school's. Community college programs are gathered nationally, and the North Carolina ranking and the Charlotte list cover schools well outside a Raleigh commute.

Figures in this section: North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Hair, Skin and Nail Work Pays in the Raleigh Metro

The Raleigh-Cary metro employs 1,810 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a median of $43,700 in the BLS May 2025 release, about $5,290 above the $38,410 North Carolina median. The bottom tenth earns $27,300 and the top tenth $70,550, where the state's top tenth stops at $61,530. Raleigh pays above the state middle for this work.

Skin work is the local outlier. Skincare specialists are 2.28 times as concentrated here as they are nationally, 790 of them employed at a $42,950 median, and their top tenth reaches $104,790 against $70,550 for hairdressers. That ceiling belongs to a small group, so treat it as the upside rather than the expectation. Esthetician work is a separate training and a separate state license.

Nails run the other way in Raleigh. The metro counts 270 manicurists and pedicurists at 0.37 times the national concentration, a thin trade locally against 1,900 across North Carolina. The median is $36,310 and the spread is wide, $21,810 at the bottom tenth and $77,750 at the top.

Every figure above counts wage and salary workers. BLS surveys employers, so a Raleigh stylist who rents her chair and bills her own clients falls outside the count, and that is a large share of this trade. Read the medians as the middle of salon employment rather than the middle of the profession.

Figures in this section: North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners; BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Raleigh

Median annual pay in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $43,700 against $38,410 across North Carolina, with 1,810 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.

Cosmetology Schools in Nearby Cities

• Cosmetology schools in Charlotte, NC
• All of North Carolina
• All 50 cities

Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Raleigh

Answers draw on North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.