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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Cosmetology (Income $0-$30k) in California

9 Ranked Colleges
160 Degrees Awarded
$4,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Cosmetology is the 238th most popular major in the country with 95,609 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, cosmetology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $15,675 and had an average of $10,029 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 11,351 cosmetology graduates with average earnings and debt of $15,158 and $8,832 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 160 cosmetology graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in cosmetology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great cosmetology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the cosmetology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Cosmetology (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

College of San Mateo

San Mateo, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of San Mateo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Mateo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s cosmetology degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSM has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $22 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSM.

Read full report on Cosmetology at College of San Mateo

#2

Golden West College

Huntington Beach, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Golden West College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Huntington Beach, California, this fairly large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified associates’s cosmetology students in 2019-2020.

Golden West College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $1,941 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Golden West College.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Golden West College

#3

Citrus College

Glendora, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Citrus College landed the #3 spot on the list. Citrus College is a fairly large school located in Glendora, California that handed out 17 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

Citrus College also made our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Citrus College is $1,885 for california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Citrus College

#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Riverside City College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Riverside City College is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 associates’s cosmetology degrees to qualified students.

Riverside City College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,620 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Riverside City College.

Full Riverside City College Cosmetology Report

#5

San Diego City College

San Diego, California
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego City College landed the #5 spot on the list. San Diego City College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Diego City College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego City College is $4,617 for california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Cosmetology at San Diego City College

#6

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, California

Sacramento City College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sacramento City College is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 12 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

Sacramento City did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sacramento City College is $4,126 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Cosmetology at Sacramento City College

#7

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #7, Los Angeles Trade Technical College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 associates’s cosmetology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Los Angeles Trade Technical College has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Los Angeles Trade Technical College is $6,716 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Cosmetology at Los Angeles Trade Technical College

#8

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara City College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SBCC is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 associates’s cosmetology degrees to qualified students.

SBCC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Barbara City College is $6,058 for california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Cosmetology at Santa Barbara City College

#9

Laney College

Oakland, California
#6 in overall quality

Laney College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 7 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

Laney College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Laney College is $11,752 for california associate degree cosmetology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Laney College

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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