Retraining Report
Find training

Cosmetology school in Illinois

6 cosmetology programs with results and funding that can make them free

6 schools offer these cosmetology programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices.

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 Illinois, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first.

See the 6 programs

How much does cosmetology school cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
Working 6 months later
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Length
22 to 44 weeks

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

Is there free cosmetology school in Illinois?

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

Cosmetology school in Chicago, Marion, Springfield and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 2 in smaller cities and towns.

All 6 cosmetology programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

Filters
What you need to enroll
Kind of program
How it's taught
How to show the list

6 programs

  • Cosmetology license programIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Certificate in Cosmetology

    John A. Logan Community College

    Carterville

    High school diploma or equivalent

    John A. Logan Community College, Carterville · Cosmetology license program · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Certificate in Cosmetology at John A. Logan Community College
    More details about Certificate in Cosmetology at John A. Logan Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Cosmetology license programIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Cosmetology

    Southeastern Illinois College

    Harrisburg

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Southeastern Illinois College, Harrisburg · Cosmetology license program · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Cosmetology at Southeastern Illinois College
    More details about Cosmetology at Southeastern Illinois College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    46 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Cosmetology license programIn personEducation and courses

    Cosmetology

    L A Style School of Cosmetology LLC

    Chicago

    Education and courses

    L A Style School of Cosmetology LLC, Chicago · Cosmetology license program · In person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Cosmetology at L A Style School of Cosmetology LLC
    More details about Cosmetology at L A Style School of Cosmetology LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    72 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Cosmetology license programIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Cosmetology

    Fusion Natural Hair & Braid Academy LLC

    Joliet

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Fusion Natural Hair & Braid Academy LLC, Joliet · Cosmetology license program · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    More details about Cosmetology at Fusion Natural Hair & Braid Academy LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    16 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Cosmetology license programIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Cosmetology Technology 1yr. Cert.

    Shawnee Community College

    Ullin

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Shawnee Community College, Ullin · Cosmetology license program · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Cosmetology Technology 1yr. Cert. at Shawnee Community College
    More details about Cosmetology Technology 1yr. Cert. at Shawnee Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Hair design, hairstyling or braidingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Natural Hair Care and Braiding Program

    Next Level Mastery Center LLC

    Springfield

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Next Level Mastery Center LLC, Springfield · Hair design, hairstyling or braiding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Natural Hair Care and Braiding Program at Next Level Mastery Center LLC
    More details about Natural Hair Care and Braiding Program at Next Level Mastery Center LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    15 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

How to pay for cosmetology school in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for cosmetology school in Illinois

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 Illinois cosmetology program numbers come from

Which Illinois cosmetology programs are on this list?

These are the cosmetology programs Illinois 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 Illinois offers.

How Illinois cosmetology program prices are reported

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. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some cosmetology programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".10 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Other training in Illinois

Sources for the facts about cosmetology school in Illinois

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