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Cosmetology school in Colorado

4 cosmetology programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

4 schools offer these cosmetology programs, and Colorado has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Hairstylists and cosmetologists shampoo, cut, color and style hair. Every state requires a license: you finish a state-approved program, which usually leads to a certificate, and then pass a state licensing exam.1 In Colorado, all 4 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 3 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 4 programs

How much does cosmetology school cost in Colorado?

$3,287 to $18,360

is what the 4 programs with a price cost if you pay yourself

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
Length
Not reported

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Colorado may also offer cosmetology school. How these figures are made

Is there free cosmetology school in Colorado?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

Cosmetology school in Denver, Alamosa and other Colorado cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 1 in smaller cities and towns.

All 4 cosmetology programs in Colorado approved for WIOA funding

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What you need to enroll
Kind of program
How it's taught
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4 programs

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Pickens Technical College

    Aurora

    No diploma needed

    Pickens Technical College, Aurora · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$5,940
    More details about Cosmetology at Pickens Technical College
    Finished
    70%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    75
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $5,940

  • Cosmetology license programHybridNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Trinidad State Junior College

    Alamosa

    No diploma needed

    Trinidad State Junior College, Alamosa · Cosmetology license program · Hybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$21,100
    Price if you pay yourself$8,813
    School website, Cosmetology at Trinidad State Junior College
    More details about Cosmetology at Trinidad State Junior College
    Finished
    59%
    Working at 6 months
    38%
    Earned in a quarter
    $5,280
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,270
    Students counted
    72
    a year, estimated
    $21,100
    price
    $8,813

  • Cosmetology license programHybridNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Otero Junior College

    La Junta

    No diploma needed

    Otero Junior College, La Junta · Cosmetology license program · Hybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$12,000
    Price if you pay yourself$3,287
    Program website, Cosmetology at Otero Junior College
    More details about Cosmetology at Otero Junior College
    Finished
    71%
    Working at 6 months
    71%
    Earned in a quarter
    $3,011
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,700
    Students counted
    10
    a year, estimated
    $12,000
    price
    $3,287

  • Cosmetology license programHybridNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Paul Mitchell The School Denver

    Denver

    No diploma needed

    Paul Mitchell The School Denver, Denver · Cosmetology license program · Hybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$18,360
    More details about Cosmetology at Paul Mitchell The School Denver
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    88
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $18,360

How to pay for cosmetology school in Colorado

WIOA funding can pay for cosmetology school in Colorado

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.2People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.3Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.4

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).5

Financial aid and grants for cosmetology school

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for cosmetology school

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the Colorado cosmetology program numbers come from

Which Colorado cosmetology programs are on this list?

These are the cosmetology programs Colorado approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Colorado offers.

How the prices and results of Colorado cosmetology programs are measured

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Results describe students who left the program in recent years, and the yearly earnings figure is the reported quarter times four, an estimate. They describe past students, so they are no guarantee. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported". Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Colorado figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Colorado among the states with "known data quality concerns".10 The figures here are shown as the state reported them; check them with the school before you enroll.

Other training in Colorado

Sources for the facts about cosmetology school in Colorado

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
  10. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns