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Cosmetology school in Massachusetts

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

6 schools offer these cosmetology programs, and Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, all 7 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 7 programs

How much does cosmetology school cost in Massachusetts?

$8,275 to $15,000 is what most cosmetology programs in Massachusetts cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 7 programs with a price. All of them: $7,600 to $16,500

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
32 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 Massachusetts may also offer cosmetology school. How these figures are made

Is there free cosmetology school in Massachusetts?

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

Cosmetology school in Boston, Worcester, Pittsfield and other Massachusetts cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 1 program is online.

All 7 cosmetology programs in Massachusetts approved for WIOA funding

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

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    New England Hair Academy, Inc.

    Malden

    No diploma needed

    New England Hair Academy, Inc., Malden · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$23,700
    Price if you pay yourself$16,500
    Program website, Cosmetology at New England Hair Academy, Inc.
    More details about Cosmetology at New England Hair Academy, Inc.
    Finished
    45%
    Working at 6 months
    29%
    Earned in a quarter
    $5,932
    Length
    29 weeks, 35 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,300
    Students counted
    63
    a year, estimated
    $23,700
    price
    $16,500

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Mildred Elley-Pittsfield, MA Campus

    Pittsfield

    No diploma needed

    Mildred Elley-Pittsfield, MA Campus, Pittsfield · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$26,300
    Price if you pay yourself$12,765
    School website, Cosmetology at Mildred Elley-Pittsfield, MA Campus
    More details about Cosmetology at Mildred Elley-Pittsfield, MA Campus
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    $6,574
    Length
    48 weeks, 24 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $3,370
    Students counted
    25
    a year, estimated
    $26,300
    price
    $12,765

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Minuteman Regional Vocational School District

    Lexington

    No diploma needed

    Minuteman Regional Vocational School District, Lexington · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$7,600
    Program website, Cosmetology at Minuteman Regional Vocational School District
    More details about Cosmetology at Minuteman Regional Vocational School District
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    53 weeks, 17 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,020
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $7,600

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Monarch School of Cosmetology

    Wilbraham

    No diploma needed

    Monarch School of Cosmetology, Wilbraham · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$8,000
    Program website, Cosmetology at Monarch School of Cosmetology
    More details about Cosmetology at Monarch School of Cosmetology
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 25 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $8,000

  • Cosmetology apprenticeshipOnlineNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology Apprenticeship Program

    Mansfield Beauty Schools, Inc.

    Based in Quincy, MA

    No diploma needed

    Mansfield Beauty Schools, Inc., based in Quincy, MA · Cosmetology apprenticeship · Online · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$8,550
    Program website, Cosmetology Apprenticeship Program at Mansfield Beauty Schools, Inc.
    More details about Cosmetology Apprenticeship Program at Mansfield Beauty Schools, Inc.
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    26 weeks, 25 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $921
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $8,550

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    New England Beauty Academy, LLC

    Worcester

    No diploma needed

    New England Beauty Academy, LLC, Worcester · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$15,000
    Program website, Cosmetology at New England Beauty Academy, LLC
    More details about Cosmetology at New England Beauty Academy, LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    34 weeks, 35 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $3,592
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $15,000

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    New England Beauty Academy, LLC

    Worcester

    No diploma needed

    New England Beauty Academy, LLC, Worcester · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$15,000
    Program website, Cosmetology at New England Beauty Academy, LLC
    More details about Cosmetology at New England Beauty Academy, LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    34 weeks, 35 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $3,592
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $15,000

How to pay for cosmetology school in Massachusetts

WIOA funding can pay for cosmetology school in Massachusetts

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

Quick facts: Cosmetology school in Massachusetts

programs with a price cost under $10,000
3 of 7
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
11th of 20
cosmetology programs here, against the typical state's 4
7 vs 4

State comparisons use the same figures as the cosmetology school by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Where the Massachusetts cosmetology program numbers come from

Which Massachusetts cosmetology programs are on this list?

These are the cosmetology programs Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts offers.

How Massachusetts 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.

Other training in Massachusetts

Sources for the facts about cosmetology school in Massachusetts

Show the 9 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