Cosmetology Training at Trade Schools
Cosmetology programs will teach students about hair styling, hair cutting, chemical treatments, weaving, straightening and coloring hair, as well as skin care and nail care. You will also learn about hygiene and sanitation techniques.- Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Shenandoah, San Antonio
- Austin
- Arlington
- Denison, Van Alstyne
- Houston, Katy, Missouri City, Stafford
- Cypress, Houston, Kingwood, Conroe, Tomball, Katy, Magnolia, Spring
- Amarillo, Denton, El Paso, Houston, Plano, San Antonio
- Gainesville, Corinth, Denton, Flower Mound, Bowie, Graham, Fort Worth
- Houston
- Arlington, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Hurst, Houston, San Antonio, Stafford
- Arlington, Austin, Carrollton, Houston, San Antonio, Webster
- Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Pharr, San Antonio, Waco
- Weatherford, Bridgeport
- Wharton, Richmond, Sugar Land, Bay City
Aveda Institutes
Cosmetology is taught at 49 of the 50 Aveda Institutes, each independently owned, and prepares students for their state's cosmetology licence in 1,000 to 1,835 clock hours depending on state rules: 1,000 in New York, 1,000 or 1,500 in Texas, 1,200 or 1,500 in Florida, 1,500 in most states, 1,600 in Washington and Wisconsin and 1,835 in Oregon. Students combine Aveda's online coursework with services on paying guests in the school's clinic. Dallas, TX listed $23,625 for 1,500 hours (November 2026 start); other schools differ.
Avenue Five Institute (Rating: 4.8 of 5)
Avenue Five Institute's 1000-hour Hybrid Cosmetology Program uses a flexible learning model to allow students to graduate and pursue licensure in as little as 9 months. The hybrid structure combines 4 hours of on-campus training Monday through Friday (with Morning, Afternoon, or Evening schedule options) with 10 hours of weekly distance learning. The accredited program provides comprehensive skills training in hair cutting, coloring, skincare, and nail care, while also preparing students for the State Board exam and emphasizing business acumen.
Cortiva Institute
Cortiva teaches cosmetology for the state board licence at three campuses: a 1,000-hour Cosmetology Operator program at Arlington, TX (about 11 months, $19,573 total, June 2026 sheet), 1,250 hours over 12 months at King of Prussia, PA ($19,782, January 2026 sheet) and 1,500 hours over 15 months at Cromwell, CT, where no price is posted. King of Prussia's disclosure says its cosmetology program is not accredited at this time, and Arlington's reported no students yet for 2023–24.
Grayson College
Cosmetology is taught in the salon in the Career and Technology Center on Grayson's Denison main campus. The Cosmetology Certificate is 33 credits and 1,000 clock hours over about 32 weeks, the Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist Certificate 750 hours over about seven months, and the Nail Technician Certificate 600 hours in one 16-week semester. Each ends with a mock state board before the state licensing exam. A diploma or GED is required, though 11th-graders may start cosmetology. Tuition and fees are $100 a credit in-district in 2026-27.
Houston City College
HCC teaches the Cosmetology Operator program as a 48-credit Certificate Level 2 or a 60-credit AAS at Northline, Alief Bissonnet and Eastside; the AAS can be taken partly hybrid, while the certificates are in person. Graduates take Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) exams, and HCC reports a 94% pass rate for 62 cosmetology students in 2024-25. Barbering, facial, nail and lash certificates are taught separately. The Level 2 certificate costs about $4,056 at the 2026-27 in-district rate.
Lone Star College
Cosmetology is taught at the LSC-Kingwood School of Cosmetology, approved by TDLR, as an Operator Certificate Level I and a Cosmetology AAS. Classes meet in blocks Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 1:00 or 12:00 to 4:00, with theory taught hybrid. Kingwood is the only Lone Star site with cosmetology. Credit tuition is $111 per credit hour in-district (2026-27). Barbering at North Harris is open only to Westfield High School students.
Milan Institute
Milan's Cosmetology program runs 34 weeks (1,000 clock hours in California; other states set their own hours) and prepares students for the state board cosmetology license, with practice on paying clients in the student salon. At California and Texas campuses a 44-week Advanced Cosmetology option (1,300 hours in California) adds five of seven 60-hour modules, such as eyelash extensions, makeup and hair extensions. California's 2024 state filings show cosmetology license pass rates from 81% (Bakersfield) to 98% (Vacaville).
North Central Texas College
NCTC's cosmetology school is on its main campus in Gainesville. The 36-credit Cosmetology Certificate prepares students for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation operator licence, and the 60-credit AAS adds a concentration in business, barbering or advanced cosmetology. Esthetics is a separate certificate and has no associate degree of its own. The 36-credit certificate comes to $4,032 for Cooke County residents and $7,632 for other Texans at Fall 2026 rates, plus $864 in book fees.
Northwest Educational Center (Rating: 4.0 of 5)
Northwest Educational Center’s Cosmetology Program prepares students for a career in beauty, offering hands-on training in hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, braiding, and scalp treatments. Graduates are eligible to earn a cosmetology operator license, opening doors to employment in beauty or specialty salons with potential earnings of $70,000 or more annually. Flexible schedules, financial aid, and career services make this program accessible, while a specialized Cosmetology Instructor track enables licensed professionals to expand their careers through teaching.
Ogle School (Rating: 4.7 of 5)
Ogle School’s Cosmetology program offers flexible scheduling with full-time and part-time options, allowing students to complete their training in approximately 7 to 13 months, depending on the selected pace. The curriculum blends hands-on salon experience, business education through the Prosper U program, and a digital learning platform powered by Pivot Point International. Graduates are prepared to earn a state cosmetology license and pursue diverse careers in the beauty industry, supported by financial aid, scholarships, and multiple Texas campus locations.
Paul Mitchell Schools
Paul Mitchell's cosmetology program prepares students for their state's cosmetology board exam in 1,000 to 1,600 clock hours, depending on state rules: 1,000 in California, Texas and New York, 1,500 in most Midwestern and Southern states, 1,600 in Idaho, Nevada and Washington. Students move from Core work on mannequins to Adaptive work on live models and Creative advanced work and board preparation, with a kit of shears, clippers and mannequin heads. Each school sets its own price: $17,308 at Costa Mesa, CA (through October 2026).
Southern Careers Institute
The Cosmetology Operator diploma is a 1,000-clock-hour program approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, scheduled at 25 hours a week, so about 40 weeks for a student on schedule. Graduates apply for the TDLR Class A operator licence, which requires applicants to be at least 17. The 2026 cosmetology catalog total is $18,875, including a $175 kit bought from a vendor. A 750-hour Esthetician diploma is taught at two of the cosmetology campuses.
Weatherford College
The Weatherford College Cosmetology Certificate is 42 credits, equal to 1,000 clock hours, and prepares students for the TDLR written and practical exams for a Texas operator license. Certificate graduates can continue to a 60-credit Cosmetology AAS, which also requires TSI readiness, or to a 15-credit Cosmetology Instructor certificate; licensed operators can add a 300-hour Class A Barber crossover. Cosmetology courses carry a $20 per credit hour differential on top of tuition (2026-27).
Wharton County Junior College
WCJC's Cosmetology Certificate is an 11-month, full-time day program that meets Monday to Thursday, 8:00 to 3:30, at the Wharton and Richmond campuses; new students start only in fall and spring. Completers are eligible for the Texas state board exam for a cosmetology licence. The program page puts tuition at $5,460 in-district and $7,900 out-of-district, plus about $2,336 for the student kit and $792 for books (checked October 2026).
Most programs consist of 1,500 hours, which is a number mandated by the state for the cosmetology license. However if you only want a facialist specialty license you are only required to take 750 hours, and 600 for a manicurist specialty license.
Less hours are required for the less common hair weaving specialty or hair braiding specialty licenses.
Cosmetology programs must be approved by the state in order for the class time to count for your license.
Hands On Training
Most cosmetology programs allow you to practice outside the classroom in a salon setting to allow students to perfect their skills, although you may have to pass a round of exams before you are allowed to practice on real clients.
Some Examples
At the Regency Beauty Institute, you can finish a program in about a year if you attend full time, but they also offer part time or evening schedules that would take longer. When you graduate you earn a diploma intended to leave you fully prepared to take the state licensing test.
The program at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi is designed to be completed in three semesters for a total of 42 semester credits. The price per semester is about $1,220.00, and does not include books, supplies or uniforms.
Other schools, like at the Paul Mitchell school, textbooks and a kit with equipment is included in a total tuition price that varies from campus to campus.
Some schools will help you get a shampoo or student apprentice permit to work in their salons shampooing and conditioning people’s hair while you are in school. This permit is free.
Career Overview
Texas has strict regulations on the cosmetology industry to ensure that the proper skills are learned and that sanitary and safety measures are followed.
The career title of cosmetologist can mean different things to different people, but because of oversight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the title does have as specific definition.
A cosmetologist is allowed to prep, style, cut and color hair, including beards. Cosmetologists are also allowed to give facials, and massages or other superficial treatments for hands, feet, neck and face, and give manicures and pedicures.
Other titles include a manicurist specialty, a facialist specialty, and in addition, depending on how and where you want to work, you must also apply for either an operator license to open your own salon, or a booth rental license if you want to contract the space.
Getting your Cosmetology License
At the end of the trade program, you must take a state exam to get your license. The exam consists of a written and a practical part.
The written part of the test consists of 100 multiple choice questions administered on the computer, and you have two hours to complete the test. To pass you must get at least 70 percent on the test.
The practical exam tests you for basic skills, with a focus on proper disinfection and sanitary techniques, or proper consumer safety protocol. You must have someone accompany you as a model for you to work on during the facial and manicure services.
Once the school sends proof to the board that you have completed their program, they will consider you eligible to take their exam for a year, and you can re-take the exam an unlimited amount of times during that year.
Tests for the specialty licenses vary but are similar, for instance the manicurist specialty written test only has 90 questions taken in an hour and 45 minutes.
The costs for the tests are all the same. The written portion is $55, and the practical portion is $78. If you fail the test, or don’t show up when you are scheduled to take it, you forfeit what you already paid for it The license must be renewed every two years.
If you complete the required 6 hours of continuing education there is no need to take the exam again, unless you allow the license to expire without renewing it for 5 years. If you are over age 65 and have had your license for more than 15 years, the required continuing education is only 2 hours.