Cosmetology isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #226 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for cosmetology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,549 degrees in cosmetology to qualified students.
The cosmetology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Cosmetology rankings. For our Best Overall Cosmetology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Cosmetology Schools in North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the cosmetology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Central Carolina Community College is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in cosmetology. Central Carolina Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Sanford. A Best Colleges rank of #1224 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Central Carolina Community College is a great college overall.
There were about 63 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Central Carolina Community College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the cosmetology program at Central Carolina Community College earn $4,735 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Wake Technical Community College is a good decision for students interested in a degree in cosmetology. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public college located in the large suburb of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #693 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wake Technical Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 71 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Wake Technical Community College in the most recent data year. Cosmetology degree recipients from Wake Technical Community College earn a boost of about $4,781 above the average income of cosmetology majors.
It is hard to beat Central Piedmont Community College if you wish to pursue a degree in cosmetology. Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #931 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Central Piedmont Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 34 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the cosmetology program report average early career wages of $18,217.
Any student who is interested in cosmetology has to check out Fayetteville Technical Community College. Located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 31st out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 43 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at FTCC in the most recent data year.
Any student pursuing a degree in cosmetology needs to take a look at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. A-B Tech is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Asheville. This college ranks 43rd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 46 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at A-B Tech in the most recent data year. Those cosmetology students who get their degree from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College make $3,451 more than the typical cosmetology student.
Southwestern Community College is a small public college located in the distant town of Sylva. This college ranks 76th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were approximately 12 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Southwestern Community College in the most recent data year. After graduation, cosmetology degree recipients generally earn an average of $12,328 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the town of Lumberton, Robeson Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 70th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 11 cosmetology students who graduated with this degree at Robeson Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the cosmetology program make about $11,750 in the first couple years of working.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
college factual
The cosmetology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Cosmetology rankings. For our Best Overall Cosmetology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
