The cost of completing a cosmetology program will depend on the price per tuition hour and the number of hours required for a particular license or degree. In general, tuition rates may range from less than $4 (four dollars) per hour to about $6 (six dollars) an hour. The number of hours needed for a degree program varies by state. Some states require as few as 1,200 (twelve hundred) hours for a cosmetologist, while the strictest require 2,100 (twenty-one hundred) hours. Furthermore, in certain states, you may have to serve an apprenticeship after you graduate, working an additional 1,000 (one thousand) to 4,000 (four thousand) hours while supervised by an experienced cosmetology professional. Cosmetology teachers, estheticians (ehs-thuh-TIH- shuhns), and manicurists typically need far less hours, and so their educational costs tend to be lower. Again, estheticians may be obligated to serve an apprenticeship before operating on their own. In addition to the price of tuition, students should factor in other costs, such as registration fees, textbooks, lab supplies, and related items. Typically, the beauty college will ask that you make a down payment some time before classes start, with the balance being paid either in monthly installments or as a lump sum later in the semester.
