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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Cosmetology in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
160 Degrees Awarded
$5,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in cosmetology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality cosmetology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the cosmetology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Cosmetology Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 9 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Cosmetology in California (With Aid)

#1

Golden West College

Huntington Beach, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Golden West College landed the #1 spot on the list. Huntington Beach, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s cosmetology degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Golden West College, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Golden West College is $2,862 for california associate degree cosmetology students with aid.

Read more about Cosmetology at Golden West College

#2

Citrus College

Glendora, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Citrus College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Glendora, California, and it awarded 17 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Citrus College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,751 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid per year to attend Citrus College.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Cosmetology at Citrus College

#3

College of San Mateo

San Mateo, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of San Mateo. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid. CSM is a medium-sized school located in San Mateo, California that handed out 3 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

CSM also made our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $1,239 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid per year to attend CSM.

Read more about Cosmetology at CSM

#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, California

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Riverside City College landed the #4 spot on the list. Riverside City College is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 12 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

Riverside City College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Riverside City College is $4,620 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid.

Full Riverside City College Cosmetology Report

#5

San Diego City College

San Diego, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego City College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Diego, California, this fairly large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified associates’s cosmetology students in 2019-2020.

San Diego City College also made our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $5,082 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid per year to attend San Diego City College.

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 Getting Aid ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s cosmetology degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sacramento City, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,835 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid per year to attend Sacramento City.

Read more about Cosmetology at Sacramento City College

#7

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Trade Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s cosmetology degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Los Angeles Trade Technical College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Los Angeles Trade Technical College is $6,907 for California Associate Degree Cosmetology students with aid.

Full Los Angeles Trade Technical College Cosmetology Report

#8

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara City College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Santa Barbara City College is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 3 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $7,556 for california associate degree cosmetology students with aid.

Read full report on Cosmetology at Santa Barbara City College

#9

Laney College

Oakland, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Laney College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cosmetology Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Laney College is a medium-sized school located in Oakland, California that handed out 7 associates’s cosmetology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree cosmetology students with aid list, Laney College has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Cosmetology Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Laney College is $11,977 for california associate degree cosmetology students with aid.

Full Laney College Cosmetology Report

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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