Best cosmetology programs in South Dakota 2026

• #1

  Stewart School

  Sioux Falls, SD · Licensed school

  88%

  Share of students who finish

  • Cosmetology
  • Esthetics
  • Nail technology
  • $14,300 program cost

  What the record shows

  Stewart School operates in Sioux Falls under license from the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission. Its license covers cosmetology, esthetics and nail technology. The board lists no other licensed school in Sioux Falls. Of 133 enrolled in the fall count, 88 percent finish. Tuition is reported at $14,300 for the full program. The median graduate left with $6,211 in federal loans, across 110 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $66 a month. More finish here than at the typical school on this page, 88 percent against 83, and the price is 13 percent under the $16,450 median: the two numbers point the same way. It awarded 92 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Verify the school's standing with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.

  Where it leads

  Around Sioux Falls, the median cosmetologist earns $50,500, the bottom tenth $32,940 and the top tenth $60,290. Esthetics pays a $31,580 median around Sioux Falls, 37 percent under cosmetology.

  Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), read 2026-08-31.

• #2

  Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City

  Rapid City, SD · Licensed school

  88%

  Share of students who finish

  • Cosmetology
  • Esthetics
  • Nail technology
  • $16,450 program cost

  What the record shows

  Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City is licensed by the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission and trains in Rapid City. Its license covers cosmetology, esthetics and nail technology. Of 66 enrolled in the fall count, 88 percent finish. The published cost is $16,450 for the full program. Borrowing here runs to a median of $9,681 in federal loans, measured over 51 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $103 a month. 5 points more of its students finish than the 83 percent median, priced exactly at the $16,450 median, so you pay the going rate for better than average odds of getting through. 52 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Verify the school's standing with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.

  Where it leads

  For cosmetologists around Rapid City, the range runs $24,010 to $61,900 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $48,440. The local occupation is small in absolute terms, which tends to mean hiring runs through personal contacts. Esthetics pays a $38,580 median around Rapid City, 20 percent under cosmetology. The occupation is about as common around Rapid City as it is nationally.

  Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), read 2026-08-31.

• #3

  The Salon Professional Academy

  Rapid City, SD · Licensed school

  79%

  Share of students who finish

  • Cosmetology
  • Esthetics
  • Nail technology
  • $16,485 program cost

  What the record shows

  The Salon Professional Academy operates in Rapid City under license from the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission. Its license covers cosmetology, esthetics and nail technology. 79 percent of the 80 students it enrolls finish. Tuition is reported at $16,485 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $9,835 in federal loans at the median, 71 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $104 a month. It is close to the median school on this page on completion, price and borrowing, 79 percent against 83 and $16,485 against $16,450, 60 percent of the price borrowed against 59 for the page, which is neither a warning nor a recommendation: the choice comes down to the visit and the board file. 50 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Confirm the school's current license with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission first: that entry is what qualifies your hours, whatever the federal figures say.

  Where it leads

  undefined Esthetics pays a $38,580 median around Rapid City, 20 percent under cosmetology.

  Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), read 2026-08-31.

• #4

  Lake Area Technical College

  Watertown, SD · Licensed school

  73%

  Share of students who finish

  • Cosmetology

  What the record shows

  Based in Watertown, Lake Area Technical College is on the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission register. The board licenses it to train toward cosmetology. The board lists no other licensed school in Watertown. 73 percent of students across the college finish, out of 1,812 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. Most of the students behind that 73 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. Borrowing here runs to a median of $12,000 in federal loans, measured over 21 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $127 a month. Its 28 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 1,812. It is a public college, so the cosmetology course is priced at in-district tuition rather than at an academy price. Check its license with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission before enrolling, because that record and not this card is what makes your clock hours count.

  Where it leads

  In South Dakota, the median cosmetologist earns $49,800, the bottom tenth $32,090 and the top tenth $61,900. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. South Dakota employs the trade at close to the national rate, around 690 people.

  Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), read 2026-08-31.

Which other cosmetology schools in South Dakota are state licensed?

These South Dakota cosmetology schools hold a current license from South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation) but have no published earnings figure, because the ranking above reads federal data that covers only schools taking federal financial aid. Their hours count toward the South Dakota exam exactly as the ranked schools' hours do. They are listed by city rather than ordered, since nothing published about them supports an ordering.

How do you become a cosmetologist in South Dakota in 2026?

To become a cosmetologist in South Dakota you need 1,500 clock hours at a school licensed by South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), then a passing score on the state exam. At the pace most clock-hour schools run, that is roughly 11.5 months full time. 13 states set a lower requirement and the rest set a higher one, in a national range topping out at 2,000 hours.

The count is only good if the school was licensed by South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation) throughout, so the license is worth confirming before you enroll.

How much do cosmetologists make in South Dakota in 2026?

Cosmetologists in South Dakota earn a median of $49,800 , with the bottom tenth on $32,090 and the top tenth on $61,900 . The related licenses pay differently again, which matters because you pick the license before you start the hours.

What is different about cosmetology licensing in South Dakota?

South Dakota licenses 'apprentice salons' as a separate, named category of training provider alongside schools, and a 1,500-hour salon apprenticeship (ARSD 20:42:07:06) fully replaces school. The Commission's own current roster lists only five licensed schools statewide against seven approved apprentice salons, so the apprenticeship channel is not a fringe path here. The written board exam is also delivered online from anywhere with a computer and internet connection. Read South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation)'s own rules .

Where do cosmetologists make the most money in South Dakota?

Cosmetologists make the most money in South Dakota around Sioux Falls, where the median is $50,500, and the least around Sioux City at $30,330. A 67 percent spread across one state means where you work matters more to your pay than which of these metros you trained in.

The statewide median sits at $49,800, so the metros above it are carrying the average up.

Is it better to be a cosmetologist, esthetician or nail tech in South Dakota?

In South Dakota, salon managers are the best paid of the beauty licenses at a $49,860 median. Cosmetologists in South Dakota sit at $49,800, below that, which is worth weighing before committing to the longest of the licenses.

Hour requirements differ by license too, so a route that pays slightly less can still reach a paycheck sooner.

Can you use a cosmetology license from another state in South Dakota?

Using a cosmetology license from another state in South Dakota means satisfying South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation), which decides case by case, and the number it weighs is hours. Against the other Midwest states, South Dakota is its 1,500 hour requirement is about the regional norm, and it pays about 45 percent above the regional average.

Crossing a state line with a license means satisfying the new board, not the one that trained you, and the gap it cares about is hours.

What does this South Dakota cosmetology program ranking not tell you?

This South Dakota 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 South Dakota Cosmetology Commission (South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation) for the license itself.

Common questions about cosmetology programs in South Dakota