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Cosmetology school in New York

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

5 schools offer these cosmetology programs, and New York 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 New York, 5 of the 6 programs take students without a high school diploma.

See the 6 programs

How much does cosmetology school cost in New York?

$9,792 to $11,079 is what most cosmetology programs in New York cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 6 programs with a price. All of them: $515 to $15,200

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
Working 6 months later
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Length
36 to 52 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 New York may also offer cosmetology school. How these figures are made

Is there free cosmetology school in New York?

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

Cosmetology school in Ithaca, New York, Elmira and other New York cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 6 cosmetology programs in New York approved for WIOA funding

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

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology Training

    Tst Boces

    Ithaca

    No diploma needed

    Tst Boces, Ithaca · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$515
    School website, Cosmetology Training at Tst Boces
    More details about Cosmetology Training at Tst Boces
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    53 weeks, 24 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    16
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $515

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology Course 1000 Hour

    Tst Boces

    Ithaca

    No diploma needed

    Tst Boces, Ithaca · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$10,310
    School website, Cosmetology Course 1000 Hour at Tst Boces
    More details about Cosmetology Course 1000 Hour at Tst Boces
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    48 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    12
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $10,310

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Nassau Boces - Adult Evening Program

    Westbury

    No diploma needed

    Nassau Boces - Adult Evening Program, Westbury · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$9,619
    Program website, Cosmetology at Nassau Boces - Adult Evening Program
    More details about Cosmetology at Nassau Boces - Adult Evening Program
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    53 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $9,619

  • Cosmetology license programIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Cosmetology Full Time

    New York Beauty And Barber Academy LLC

    Elmira

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New York Beauty And Barber Academy LLC, Elmira · Cosmetology license program · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$10,900
    Program website, Cosmetology Full Time at New York Beauty And Barber Academy LLC
    More details about Cosmetology Full Time at New York Beauty And Barber Academy LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $10,900

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Western Suffolk Boces

    Dix Hills

    No diploma needed

    Western Suffolk Boces, Dix Hills · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$11,139
    Program website, Cosmetology at Western Suffolk Boces
    More details about Cosmetology at Western Suffolk Boces
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    30 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $11,139

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    Empire Beauty School

    Pottsville, PA

    No diploma needed

    Empire Beauty School, Pottsville, PA · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Classes are outside New York; New York approved the program for its funding.

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$15,200
    More details about Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    35 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $15,200

How to pay for cosmetology school in New York

WIOA funding can pay for cosmetology school in New York

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 New York

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
9th of 20
cosmetology programs here, against the typical state's 4
6 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 New York cosmetology program numbers come from

Which New York cosmetology programs are on this list?

These are the cosmetology programs New York 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 New York offers.

How New York 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 New York figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists New York 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 New York

Sources for the facts about cosmetology school in New York

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