Nashville, TN
Cosmetology Schools in Nashville, TN, Ranked (2026)
Nashville skyline. Photo by Anonymous615, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
The cosmetology schools in Nashville split into two lists that don't overlap. Seven schools within reach report completion figures to the federal government, and only one of those sits inside the city. The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners licenses eight more inside Nashville, and none of the eight turn up in the federal data.
That's ordinary for this trade and it isn't a knock on the eight. Most beauty schools are clock-hour schools that never enter the federal reporting system. It does mean your shortlist runs past the city line: Franklin, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, Brentwood and Lebanon all hold schools that report. One more nearby school had too small a cohort to rank.
Figures in this section: Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
The 7 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Nashville, Ranked on Completion
8 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Nashville or within 30 miles of downtown. 7 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. The other 1 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 7.
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 Tennessee page links the board's own lookup.
| # | School | Miles | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology | 17 | 86% |
| 2 | Image Maker Beauty Institute | 14 | 77% |
| 3 | Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro | 30 | 75% |
| 4 | Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville | 14 | 74% |
| 5 | Empire Beauty School-Nashville | 14 | 72% |
| 6 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville | 5 | 70% |
| 7 | Genesis Career College-Lebanon | 25 | 59% |
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#1
Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology
Franklin, TN · Licensed school
86%
Share of students who finish
- $13,075 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Franklin, Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology is on the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners register. Franklin has 6 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 86 percent of students see the course through, out of 116 enrolled. It charges $13,075 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. More finish here than at the typical school on this page, 86 percent against 74, and the price is 25 percent under the $17,400 median: the two numbers point the same way. It awarded 29 beauty credentials in the reporting year. From 116 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. The board files it under license 585; that record, not this one, is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, the median cosmetologist earns $34,430, the bottom tenth $28,080 and the top tenth $62,430. The metro median is about 10 percent above the Tennessee figure. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.8 times the median and the floor sits 18 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
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#2
Image Maker Beauty Institute
Hendersonville, TN · Licensed school
77%
Share of students who finish
- $19,100 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Hendersonville, Image Maker Beauty Institute is on the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners register. 77 percent of students see the course through, out of 74 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $19,100 for the full program. The median graduate left with $9,833 in federal loans, across 51 borrowers. 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, 77 percent against 74 and $19,100 against $17,400, 51 percent of the price borrowed against 56 for the page, which is neither a warning nor a recommendation: the choice comes down to the visit and the board file. 40 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. License 76 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin earn under $34,430, with the tenth percentile at $28,080 and the ninetieth at $62,430. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 10 percent higher on median pay. The upside is capped near 1.8 times the median and the floor is 18 percent under it, a market where the first year is tight rather than dangerous and the ceiling is earned slowly. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin employs the trade at about 1.3 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
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#3
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, TN · Licensed school
75%
Share of students who finish
- $17,400 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Murfreesboro, Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro is on the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners register. Of the 201 students in its fall count, 75 percent complete the course they started. Tuition is reported at $17,400 for the full program. Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $9,739 in federal loans at the median over 201 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $103 a month. On completion and price it is close to the median school on this page, 75 percent against 74 and $17,400, exactly the median, which is neither a warning nor a recommendation: the choice comes down to the visit and the board file. 144 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. License 355 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, the range runs $28,080 to $62,430 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $34,430. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 10 percent higher on median pay. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.8 times the median and the floor sits 18 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
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#4
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville
Hendersonville, TN · Licensed school
74%
Share of students who finish
- $17,400 program cost
What the record shows
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville is licensed by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners and trains in Hendersonville. 74 percent of its students finish, out of 237 enrolled in the fall count. Tuition is reported at $17,400 for the full program. Borrowing is pooled across Paul Mitchell campuses in the federal file, 201 borrowers at a median of $9,739 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $103 a month. Completion and price both sit near the page's middle, 74 percent, exactly the median and $17,400, exactly the median. Nothing federal separates it, so the clinic floor and the board file will. It awarded 152 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Its board record is license 428, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin earn under $34,430, with the tenth percentile at $28,080 and the ninetieth at $62,430. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 10 percent higher on median pay. An ordinary shape: the top tenth at 1.8 times the median and a floor 18 percent below it, so a good first year and a good tenth year here are separated by a client book rather than by a cliff. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin employs the trade at about 1.3 times the national rate, so the local market is thicker than average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
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#5
Empire Beauty School-Nashville
Brentwood, TN · Licensed school
72%
Share of students who finish
- $17,145 program cost
What the record shows
Empire Beauty School-Nashville is licensed by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners and trains in Brentwood. The board lists no other licensed school in Brentwood. Of the 111 students in its fall count, 72 percent complete the course they started. 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. Completion and price both sit near the page's middle, 72 percent against 74 and $17,145 against $17,400. Nothing federal separates it, so the clinic floor and the board file will. It awarded 65 beauty credentials in the reporting year. License 117 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin runs from $28,080 at the tenth percentile to $62,430 at the ninetieth, with a median of $34,430. The metro median is about 10 percent above the Tennessee figure. A 2.2-to-one spread from bottom to top is ordinary for the trade, and here as everywhere the top belongs to a client book. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
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#6
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville
Nashville, TN
70%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 76 graduates a year
- $4,620 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Nashville, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. Across all 759 students at the college, 70 percent finish, which covers cosmetology along with everything else it teaches. That 70 percent is ordinary for this page, and it belongs to the whole campus; ask the cosmetology department for the program's own figure. The published tuition is $4,620. That price is 73 percent under the $17,400 median, which is what public pricing looks like and the reason it is a fraction of the academies here. Its 76 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 759. Look this school up on the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners register by its legal name before you pay, because that entry and not this one is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin earn under $34,430, with the tenth percentile at $28,080 and the ninetieth at $62,430. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 10 percent higher on median pay. An ordinary shape: the top tenth at 1.8 times the median and a floor 18 percent below it, so a good first year and a good tenth year here are separated by a client book rather than by a cliff. The work is somewhat more concentrated around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin than nationally, at roughly 1.3 times the usual rate.
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#7
Genesis Career College-Lebanon
Lebanon, TN · Licensed school
59%
Share of students who finish
- $17,995 program cost
What the record shows
Genesis Career College-Lebanon operates in Lebanon under license from the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. Of 96 enrolled in the fall count, 59 percent finish. The published cost is $17,995 for the full program. 38 graduates borrowed, at a median of $9,500 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $101 a month. 15 points fewer of its students finish than the 74 percent median, priced within 4 percent of the $17,400 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 41 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Its board record is license 43, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin earn under $34,430, with the tenth percentile at $28,080 and the ninetieth at $62,430. Against the state as a whole, the metro runs roughly 10 percent higher on median pay. An ordinary shape: the top tenth at 1.8 times the median and a floor 18 percent below it, so a good first year and a good tenth year here are separated by a client book rather than by a cliff. Concentration around Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin runs modestly above the national rate, about 1.3 times, or 2,770 people in the occupation.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), read 2026-08-31.
Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Nashville
Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division) lists 8 currently licensed schools in Nashville. None of them 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.
| School | License |
|---|---|
| Bdmc Professional Services | Licensed school |
| Bdmc Professional Services | Licensed school |
| Em'pressed Beauty Academy | Licensed school |
| Genesis Career College: Nashville Airport Campus | Licensed school |
| Jacqui's Global Cosmetology & Barber Academy | Licensed school |
| Shear Perfection Academy of Charlotte | Licensed school |
| Shear Perfection Academy of Cosmetology/ Nashville Campus | Licensed school |
| The Salon Professional Academy | Licensed school |
What the Tennessee Board Requires of a Nashville Cosmetology Student
Your license comes from the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, inside the Department of Commerce and Insurance. It wants 1,500 clock hours of practice and theory at a licensed school, apportioned as 300 general, 600 chemical and 600 physical. Tennessee also states the same requirement as 45 credit hours, which almost no other state bothers to do.
Tennessee is one of the few states that lets a school build an apprenticeship curriculum, where up to half of your hours are earned in a salon under the direct supervision of a licensed professional rather than in a classroom. The salon has to post an 8-by-10-inch sign at the entrance so a customer can ask not to be worked on by an apprentice.
The other Tennessee credentials run shorter: 750 hours for esthetics, 600 for manicuring, and 300 each for a natural hair stylist, an eyelash specialist or an instructor. None of those hours can be logged from home. The Tennessee rules carry no provision for delivering student clock hours online, so the states on the list that do allow it are a different set.
Figures in this section: Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division); BLS OEWS, May 2025.
What the Ranked Nashville Cosmetology Schools Actually Show
Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology leads on completion, finishing 86% of its students, with 116 enrolled and $13,075 for the program. It's 17 miles out in Franklin. Image Maker Beauty Institute in Hendersonville, 14 miles from the city, finished 77% of 74 students at $19,100, and its graduates carry a median debt of $9,833.
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro is the largest of the three at 201 students and 75% completion, though at 30 miles it's also the longest drive, and it lists $17,400. The cheapest ranked option is the public one and it's the closest: Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville, five miles out, 70% completion and $4,620 for the whole program.
The order here is the federal completion figure, because the board publishes a roster of licensed schools rather than anything that ranks them. Completion counts how many students finished, not how good the training was. The methodology sets out the rest of it, and the Tennessee page puts these seven next to the rest of the state, Memphis included.
Figures in this section: Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division); BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Cosmetologists Are Paid in the Nashville Metro
BLS counts 2,770 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists in the Nashville metro in its May 2025 release, at a location quotient of 1.28, so the trade is denser here than the national average. The median is $34,430 a year. The bottom tenth report $28,080 and the top tenth $62,430.
Statewide the median is $31,310 across 6,080 hairdressers, so the metro pays about $3,100 more at the middle. Skin work pays better on both cuts: 760 skincare specialists in the metro at a median of $38,110, with a top tenth of $83,500. The cosmetologist salary page has the national percentiles.
One caveat sits under all of it. BLS surveys employers, so booth renters and self-employed stylists are largely outside these figures, and a chair you rent doesn't file a payroll record. If renting is your plan, read the median as a floor for employed work rather than a forecast of your take-home. The esthetician career page covers the same gap for skin work.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Nashville
Median annual pay in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $34,430 against $31,310 across Tennessee, with 2,770 employed in the metro. Booth renters and salon owners are self-employed and outside the survey, so these figures describe stylists on a payroll.
- Estheticians $38,110 $38,110
- Cosmetologists $34,430 $34,430
| Occupation | Metro median | Tennessee median |
|---|---|---|
| Estheticians | $38,110 | $36,590 |
| Cosmetologists | $34,430 | $31,310 |
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
Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Nashville
Answers draw on Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.
How many hours do you need to become a cosmetologist in Nashville?
Can you earn part of your Nashville cosmetology hours in a salon?
How much do cosmetology schools near Nashville cost?
Do Nashville beauty schools show up in federal graduation data?
What do hairdressers earn in Nashville compared with the rest of Tennessee?
Sources
- Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division), school license records, read 2026-08-31. Hour requirement for a cosmetologist license: 1,500 clock hours, cited to the rule.
- US Department of Education, College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Completion, enrollment, cost and location for every cosmetology program (CIP 12.04) within 30 miles of downtown Nashville. Each card links its institution's Scorecard page.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Metro-area wages and employment for the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area.