Cosmetology Schools in Seattle, WA, Ranked (2026)

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

10 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Seattle or within 30 miles of downtown. 5 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 5 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 5.

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 Washington page links the board's own lookup.

1. #1

   Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett

   Everett, WA

   83%

   Share of students who finish

   • 83% finish
   • 858 graduates a year
   • $12,965 program cost

   What the record shows

   Based in Everett, Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett is one of the cosmetology programs the federal government tracks. 83 percent of its students finish, out of 1,172 enrolled in the fall count. It charges $12,965 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 $7,904 in federal loans, measured over 650 graduates. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $84 a month. Finishing well and charging under the median is the combination worth looking for, and this is one of the few schools on the page that does both, 16 points above the 67 percent median and 31 percent under the $18,700 median. 858 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. That is roughly 40 percent of everything awarded by federally reporting beauty programs in the state, by some distance the largest beauty school in the state's federal file. Confirm the school's current license with the Washington State Department of Licensing first: federal reporting is about financial aid, and it is the state license that qualifies your hours.

   Where it leads

   Around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, the median cosmetologist earns $59,810, the bottom tenth $38,910 and the top tenth $101,340. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. Local concentration around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue sits near the national average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

2. #2

   Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline

   Shoreline, WA

   74%

   Share of students who finish

   • 74% finish
   • 70 graduates a year
   • $12,965 program cost

   What the record shows

   Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline teaches cosmetology in Shoreline, with its results published federally. 74 percent of students see the course through, out of 131 enrolled. It charges $12,965 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Graduates who borrowed took on $12,344 in federal loans at the median, 40 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $131 a month. That is most of the $12,965 price arriving as debt, so the published cost and what a student actually finances are close to the same number here. 7 points more of its students finish than the 67 percent median, and it charges 31 percent less than the $18,700 median to do it, which is the right direction on both counts. It awarded 70 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Ask the Washington State Department of Licensing 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, the median cosmetologist earns $59,810, the bottom tenth $38,910 and the top tenth $101,340. 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. Local concentration around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue sits near the national average.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

3. #3

   Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle

   Seattle, WA

   67%

   Share of students who finish

   • 67% finish
   • 79 graduates a year
   • $21,000 program cost

   What the record shows

   Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle trains in Seattle, and because it takes federal financial aid its outcomes are published per program. 67 percent of students see the course through, out of 154 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $21,000 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $7,673 in federal loans at the median, 89 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $81 a month. It charges 12 percent over the $18,700 median and finishes about as many of its students as the typical school here, so the extra price is not buying a better completion rate. 79 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Verify the school's standing with the Washington State Department of Licensing before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.

   Where it leads

   For cosmetologists around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, the range runs $38,910 to $101,340 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $59,810. 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, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

4. #4

   Summit Salon Academy

   Tacoma, WA

   59%

   Share of students who finish

   • 59% finish
   • 103 graduates a year
   • $18,700 program cost

   What the record shows

   Summit Salon Academy runs its cosmetology program in Tacoma and reports to the US Department of Education. Of the 138 students in its fall count, 59 percent complete the course they started. The published cost is $18,700 for the full program. 118 graduates borrowed, at a median of $7,916 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $84 a month. 8 points fewer of its students finish than the 67 percent median, priced exactly at the $18,700 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. The school conferred 103 credentials in the year reported. Check its license with the Washington State Department of Licensing before enrolling, because that record and not the federal listing is what makes your clock hours count.

   Where it leads

   Around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, the median cosmetologist earns $59,810, the bottom tenth $38,910 and the top tenth $101,340. 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. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue employs the trade at close to the national rate, around 4,510 people.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

5. #5

   Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way

   Federal Way, WA

   34%

   Share of students who finish

   • 34% finish
   • 111 graduates a year
   • $19,492 program cost

   What the record shows

   Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way runs its cosmetology program in Federal Way and reports to the US Department of Education. The school graduates 34 percent across two years of students, on a fall headcount of 147. Tuition is reported at $19,492 for the full program. Graduates who borrowed took on $10,555 in federal loans at the median, 208 of them. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $112 a month. Only 34 in a hundred finish here, 33 points under the 67 percent median. Treat that as the headline, not a footnote, and hold the $19,492 price against it. 111 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Verify the school's standing with the Washington State Department of Licensing before any deposit changes hands, since that record and not this one governs your hours.

   Where it leads

   Pay for cosmetologists around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue runs from $38,910 at the tenth percentile to $101,340 at the ninetieth, with a median of $59,810. 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, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.

   Source: US Department of Education, College Scorecard.

What Washington Requires From Seattle Cosmetology Students

The agency is the Washington State Department of Licensing, and it handles both sides of this: the license a Seattle school needs to operate and the license you earn when you graduate. A cosmetologist license takes 1,600 clock hours of school. That number lives in RCW 18.16.020, a statute, not in a rule the department can revise on its own.

Washington also splits esthetics into two licenses, which few states do. An esthetician license takes 750 hours and a master esthetician license takes 1,200. If skincare is where you are headed, price that second tier before you enroll anywhere, because skincare specialists in this metro out-earn hairdressers by a wide margin. The esthetician career guide covers the scope of each.

One more Washington rule worth knowing: natural hair braiding is exempt from licensure under WAC 308-20-025. If braiding is the work you actually want to do, none of the 1,600 hours applies to you. The exemption is narrow, though, and every other service in the cosmetology definition still needs the license.

Figures in this section: Washington State Department of Licensing; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What the Seattle Ranking Shows, and Where the Schools Actually Are

Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett leads at 83% completion on 1,172 enrolled, with program tuition of $12,965 and median debt of $7,904. It is 22 miles from Seattle. The largest enrollment on the list carrying the highest completion figure on the list is not a combination you see often, and it is the reason it ranks first.

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle is the only ranked school inside the city, third at 67% completion on 154 enrolled. It is also the most expensive at $21,000, against $12,965 at both Evergreen and Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline. Its median debt of $7,673 is lower than either of the two cheaper schools, which is worth a second look.

The bottom of the list is Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way, 20 miles south, at 34% completion with $10,555 in median debt. Completion is the first thing this site checks, because it is the outcome a school controls and the one it almost never advertises. Our methodology sets out what else goes into the score.

Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Cosmetologists and Estheticians Earn in the Seattle Metro

Wages here run high. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue counts 4,510 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a median annual wage of $59,810 in the BLS May 2025 release, and Washington as a whole sits at $59,510, because the metro holds most of the state's employment in this trade. Ten percent of them earn under $38,910 and ten percent clear $101,340.

Skin pays better than hair here. Skincare specialists report a median of $80,510 on 1,330 employed, with a 90th percentile of $139,160. Manicurists and pedicurists sit at $50,800 on 3,610 employed. Those three medians are worth reading before you decide which license to train for, and esthetician salary data puts the national numbers next to them.

BLS counts wage and salary workers. Booth renters and chair-rental stylists file as self-employed and sit outside every figure above, so a $59,810 median tells you what Seattle salons pay staff rather than what an independent stylist bills. The cosmetologist salary page has the national percentiles for comparison.

Figures in this section: Washington State Department of Licensing; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.

What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Seattle

Median annual pay in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $59,810 against $59,510 across Washington, with 4,510 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 Seattle

Answers draw on Washington State Department of Licensing, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.