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Cosmetology school in Virginia

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

6 schools offer these cosmetology programs, and Virginia 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 Virginia, 5 of the 6 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 2 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 6 programs

How much does cosmetology school cost in Virginia?

$9,156 to $15,950 is what most cosmetology programs in Virginia cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 6 programs with a price. All of them: $675 to $18,500

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Length
24 to 42 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 Virginia may also offer cosmetology school. How these figures are made

Is there free cosmetology school in Virginia?

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

Cosmetology school in Washington, Richmond, Charlottesville and other Virginia cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 6 cosmetology programs in Virginia 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

    Spectrum Beauty Academy LLC

    Alexandria

    No diploma needed

    Spectrum Beauty Academy LLC, Alexandria · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$8,875

    3 students trained with WIOA funding

    More details about Cosmetology at Spectrum Beauty Academy LLC
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    20 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,040
    Students counted
    75
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $8,875
    trained with WIOA funding
    3

  • Cosmetology license programHybridNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology

    CC's Beauty Institute LLC

    Richmond

    No diploma needed

    CC's Beauty Institute LLC, Richmond · Cosmetology license program · Hybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$10,000

    4 students trained with WIOA funding

    Program website, Cosmetology at CC's Beauty Institute LLC
    More details about Cosmetology at CC's Beauty Institute LLC
    Finished
    96%
    Working at 6 months
    100%
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    21
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $10,000
    trained with WIOA funding
    4

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology 1500

    Avi Career Training

    Great Falls

    No diploma needed

    Avi Career Training, Great Falls · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$15,500
    More details about Cosmetology 1500 at Avi Career Training
    Finished
    75%
    Working at 6 months
    100%
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    43 weeks, 34 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,445
    Students counted
    15
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $15,500

  • Advanced, crossover or short courseHybridNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology Pre-Apprenticeship

    Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC)

    Charlottesville

    No diploma needed

    Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC), Charlottesville · Advanced, crossover or short course · Hybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$675
    More details about Cosmetology Pre-Apprenticeship at Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC)
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    6 weeks, 12 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $675

  • Cosmetology license programIn personNo diploma needed

    Cosmetology (On MD's ETPL)

    Topcurl Beauty Academy LLC

    Alexandria

    No diploma needed

    Topcurl Beauty Academy LLC, Alexandria · Cosmetology license program · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$16,100
    More details about Cosmetology (On MD's ETPL) at Topcurl Beauty Academy LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    38 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $2,705
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $16,100

  • Cosmetology license programIn personEducation and courses

    Cosmetology

    Jolie Hair Academy

    Great Falls

    Education and courses

    Jolie Hair Academy, Great Falls · Cosmetology license program · In person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$18,500
    More details about Cosmetology at Jolie Hair Academy
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    43 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,952
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $18,500

How to pay for cosmetology school in Virginia

WIOA funding can pay for cosmetology school in Virginia

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 Virginia

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
10th 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 Virginia cosmetology program numbers come from

Which Virginia cosmetology programs are on this list?

These are the cosmetology programs Virginia 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 Virginia offers.

How Virginia 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 Virginia

Sources for the facts about cosmetology school in Virginia

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