| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Campus-based beauty schools; hybrid cosmetology in Manhattan and hybrid instructor training in Pennsylvania; no fully online programs |
| Campuses | 73 in 21 states on Empire’s state pages (October 2026); Aurora, CO and Vernon Hills, IL say they are not enrolling. 17 Pennsylvania campuses, the most of any state |
| Programs | Cosmetology at every campus; esthetics at 16; cosmetology instructor training at most; Facial Specialist at West Palm Beach, FL. Nail technology is not currently offered |
| Program length | Cosmetology 1,000–1,550 clock hours by state (29 weeks full-time for 1,000 hours, 43 weeks for 1,500); esthetics 300–750 hours |
| Accreditation | NACCAS (all campuses), plus a state licence for each campus |
| Federal aid | Yes: Pell Grants, Direct Loans and PLUS loans |
| Founded / owner | Since 1934, according to Empire; owned by EEG, Inc. (Empire Education Group), Pottsville, PA, a private for-profit company |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Empire’s 73 campuses and who owns them
Empire Beauty Schools trains cosmetologists at 73 campuses in 21 states, from Arizona to Maine, according to its state pages in October 2026; 17 are in Pennsylvania. Every campus teaches cosmetology. Some add esthetics, a cosmetology instructor program or, at West Palm Beach, FL, a short Facial Specialist course. All training is on campus except a hybrid cosmetology program in Manhattan and hybrid instructor training in Pennsylvania. Empire says it has taught since 1934.
The schools are owned by EEG, Inc. (Empire Education Group), a Delaware corporation with its corporate office in Pottsville, PA. In February 2020 Regis Corp., the salon company, agreed to sell its stake of about 55% in EEG; Empire’s current pages do not mention Regis.
Two campuses on Empire’s list, Aurora, CO and Vernon Hills, IL, say they are not enrolling, so we list 71.
Programs at Empire’s campuses
Hours are set by each state’s licensing rules, and totals are those listed on campus pages (September 2026), including tuition, kit, fees and taxes.
| Program | Clock hours | Full-time length | Delivery | Where taught | Prepares for | Total on campus pages (Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 1,000 (MA, NY, RI, VA); 1,200 (FL, NJ); 1,250 (PA); 1,500 (12 states); 1,550 (MN, WI) | 29 weeks (1,000 hours) to 43 weeks (1,500 hours); part-time twice as long | On campus, with a student salon | Every campus | State cosmetology board exam | $15,841 (Cheektowaga, NY) to $24,317 (Bloomington, MN) |
| Hybrid Cosmetology | 1,000 (483 online, 517 in person) | 29 weeks | Hybrid | Manhattan, NY only | New York cosmetology licence | $18,350 before tax (2026/27 NY catalog) |
| Esthetics / Aesthetics | 300 (PA); 600 (AZ, MD, MN, NY, RI, VA, WI); 700 (IN); 750 (KY, TN) | 9 weeks (300 hours) to 22 weeks (750 hours) | On campus | 16 campuses in 11 states | State esthetician licence | $4,140 (Moosic, PA, 300 hours) to $11,862 (Glen Burnie, MD, 600 hours) |
| Facial Specialist | 220 | – | On campus | West Palm Beach, FL only | Florida facial specialist registration | $4,496 |
| Educator Training (cosmetology instructor) | 300 (RI, TN) to 1,000 (IL, IN, MI); 600 hybrid in PA | 10 weeks (AZ, 350 hours), 18 weeks (PA hybrid, 600 hours), 23 weeks (NC, 800 hours); not published for other states | On campus; hybrid in PA | Campuses in 12 states; none in CO, FL, MA, MD, MN, NY, OH, VA or WI | State cosmetology instructor licence | $3,400 (Providence, RI) to $12,600 (Stone Park, IL); many pages give no price |
Nail Technology is not currently offered at any Empire campus. Empire’s program page says so, and so do its Arizona, Tennessee and Pennsylvania catalogs, although several campus pages still list it with “Tuition details not available.” Nail services are taught inside cosmetology. Empire offers no barbering or makeup artistry program.
What the main programs cover
Cosmetology
Every Empire campus teaches cosmetology, and the curriculum is grouped into Hair Design, Hair Cutting, Color & Texture and Basic Skin Care, with manicures and pedicures included. Each student gets a kit with mannequins and hair, skin, nail and makeup tools, and later works on clients in the campus student salon. Full-time students attend Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 4:30; the part-time evening schedule runs Monday to Wednesday 5:30 to 10:00 and Thursday 5:30 to 9:30, and Pennsylvania also has part-time days. Hours already earned at another licensed school may be accepted.
Hybrid Cosmetology in Manhattan
Manhattan’s Hybrid Cosmetology covers the same 1,000-hour New York curriculum, but 483 hours are distance education and 517 are in person, finished in 29 weeks full-time. Students pick one of two fixed weekly patterns: Schedule A is online on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and in the building on Tuesday and Thursday; Schedule B is online on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and in person on Monday and Wednesday. The catalog price includes a $250 technology fee.
Esthetics and Florida’s Facial Specialist
Esthetics prepares students for the state esthetician licence; its length follows the state, from 300 hours (about 9 weeks full-time) in Pennsylvania to 750 in Kentucky and Tennessee, and some campuses run it on part-time evenings. Florida’s Facial Specialist course is shorter and more defined: 220 hours in two 105-hour modules, each split between classroom and clinic, plus 10 hours of enrichment. It covers facials, waxing, makeup, skin analysis, microdermabrasion and chemical peels. Avondale, AZ and Jackson, TN are not approved for esthetics.
Educator Training
Educator Training prepares students for the state cosmetology instructor licence. Hours follow state rules: 300 in Rhode Island and Tennessee, 350 in Arizona (about 10 weeks full-time), 500 in New Jersey, 600 in Maine, 750 in Georgia and Kentucky, 800 in North Carolina and 1,000 in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Pennsylvania’s version is hybrid: theory is online every Tuesday, and the course runs as five modules, each with 21 hours online and 84 in person, followed by 75 hours of in-person student teaching. Full-time students finish in 18 weeks, part-time in 35.
Cost and paying for it
Each campus page lists a “total cost of tuition, kit, fees, and taxes” for each program. The figures below were on Empire’s pages in September 2026; Empire gives no effective date for them. Cosmetology ranges from $15,841 at Cheektowaga (Buffalo), NY to $24,317 at Bloomington, MN. Most 1,500-hour campuses list about $22,000 to $23,000, Pennsylvania about $20,000 to $21,000, and New York, Virginia and Massachusetts $16,000 to $18,000.
| State | Cosmetology hours | Cosmetology total | Other programs (examples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,500 | $22,290–$22,794 | Esthetics $10,340 (Chandler); educator $3,625 |
| Colorado | 1,500 | $22,365–$22,459 | – |
| Florida | 1,200 | $19,388–$19,429 | Facial Specialist $4,496 (West Palm Beach) |
| Georgia | 1,500 | $22,300–$22,355 | Educator $9,500 (Kennesaw, Augusta, Savannah) |
| Illinois | 1,500 | $22,992 (Stone Park) | Educator $12,600 |
| Indiana | 1,500 | $22,328–$22,808 | Esthetics $9,120; educator $11,393 |
| Kentucky | 1,500 | $20,185–$22,135 | Esthetics $11,674; educator $7,890 |
| Maine | 1,500 | $21,076 (Bangor) | Educator $8,599 (2025/26 catalog) |
| Maryland | 1,500 | $22,275 | Esthetics $11,862 (Glen Burnie) |
| Massachusetts | 1,000 | $16,622 (Malden) | – |
| Michigan | 1,500 | $22,300 | Educator $11,125 |
| Minnesota | 1,550 | $24,306–$24,317 | Esthetics $10,732 (Bloomington) |
| New Jersey | 1,200 | $19,377–$21,129 | Educator $6,375 |
| New York | 1,000 | $15,841–$18,344 | Esthetics $9,671 (Manhattan) |
| North Carolina | 1,500 | $22,321–$23,161 | Educator $10,125 (Concord, West Greensboro) |
| Ohio | 1,500 | $22,328 (Cincinnati) | – |
| Pennsylvania | 1,250 | $20,040–$20,990 | Esthetics (300 hours) $4,140 (Moosic), $4,847 (NE Philadelphia) |
| Rhode Island | 1,000 | $18,043 (Providence) | Esthetics $11,096; educator $3,400 |
| Tennessee | 1,500 | $20,288–$21,788 | Esthetics $11,727; educator $3,875 |
| Virginia | 1,000 | $16,615 | Esthetics $9,732 (Richmond) |
| Wisconsin | 1,550 | $21,193–$21,644 | Esthetics $8,385 (Milwaukee) |
Catalogs add a $25 application fee, a $75–$100 registration fee and a $250 technology fee “if applicable”. New York’s 2026/27 catalog figures exclude sales tax, so they are a little lower than the campus pages (for example $16,600 at Rochester against $16,820 on its page). Several campus pages, including every Pennsylvania educator program, say “Tuition details not available.”
Empire takes federal aid: Pell Grants, Direct Loans and PLUS loans. Empire’s 2022 cohort default rate file shows 0.00% for all ten of its federal aid institutions. Niche, using federal data, gives an average net price of $18,647 a year for Manhattan and $17,488 for Lehigh Valley (checked October 2026). Payment plans start with 20% down and monthly installments.
Empire’s scholarships page lists:
- Good Attendance Scholarship: $1,000 at 90% or better cumulative attendance, or $500 at 85% to 89.99%
- High School Scholarship: $1,000 for seniors entering full cosmetology, more than 100 awards, not at every location
- Gives Back Cosmetology Educational Endowment: up to $3,000 for students from anti-domestic-violence shelters
- Industry awards: Sport Clips $5,000 (up to 10 students), Beauty Schools Marketing Group $2,500 and a Great Clips award (deadlines 30 June and 31 December)
- National Educator Scholarship: full Educator Training tuition (Pennsylvania catalog), plus a tuition discount for Salon Partners
Empire says some of its schools are approved for veterans’ education benefits; students need a VA Certificate of Eligibility, so ask your campus whether it is approved.
Admissions and schedule
Applicants need a high school diploma or GED; Empire does not admit students under Ability to Benefit rules, and the state’s minimum age applies where there is one. Hours from another licensed school may be transferred, and the Pennsylvania catalog gives students four years from their start date to finish.
New cosmetology classes start every three weeks; New York’s catalog lists 17 start dates between 13 July 2026 and 21 June 2027. Full-time students attend seven hours a day, Monday to Friday, and finish 1,500 hours in about 43 weeks, 1,250 in 36 and 1,000 in 29. Part-time evening students take about twice as long. Part-time availability varies by campus.
Accreditation and results
All Empire schools and programs are accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), and each campus is licensed in its state, for example by Florida’s Commission for Independent Education, Virginia’s SCHEV and the New York State Education Department.
Empire publishes NACCAS outcome disclosures for 2024 (students scheduled to graduate between 1 January and 31 December 2024) for each campus and for each federal aid group (about ten groups, each a main campus with branches that are often in other states). They give graduation, placement and licensure rates for all programs combined, not by program. Group results, as Empire published them (read October 2026):
| Federal aid group (main campus) | Graduation | Placement | Licensure | Campuses in the group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Valley (Whitehall), PA | 69.86% | 70.23% | 84.06% | Tucson, West Palm Beach, Glen Burnie, Owings Mills, Whitehall, Lancaster, Monroeville, Shamokin Dam, Springfield, West Mifflin |
| Wyoming Valley (Moosic), PA | 64.34% | 72.80% | 85.66% | Chandler, Tampa, Augusta, Louisville-Chenoweth, Malden, Brentwood, Midlothian, Newport News, Richmond, Cheltenham, Reading, York, Moosic |
| Pottsville, PA | 69.01% | 67.83% | 86.65% | Avondale, Lakeland, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, Bloomington, Providence, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Pottsville |
| Manhattan, NY | 56.73% | 71.31% | 94.88% | Aurora, Littleton, Savannah, Elizabethtown, Charlotte, Manhattan, Rochester |
| Queens (Astoria), NY | 64.38% | 74.31% | 93.38% | Thornton, Morrow, Indianapolis, Louisville-Dixie, Winston-Salem, Cherry Hill, Queens, Jackson |
| Northeast Philadelphia, PA | 58.54% | 73.01% | 82.30% | Northlake, Stone Park, Vernon Hills, Speedway, West Greensboro, Virginia Beach, Hanover, NE Philadelphia |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 59.11% | 73.84% | 84.43% | Grand Rapids Northwest and Standale, Portage, Cheektowaga, Memphis, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Center City, North Hills |
| Group whose main campus we could not identify | 60.33% | 73.37% | 96.19% | Florence, Bangor, Spring Lake Park, Concord, Pineville, Bloomfield, Union |
| Peekskill, NY | – | 86.96% | 100% | Peekskill only |
| Cincinnati, OH | 59.13% | 76.00% | 80.65% | Cincinnati only |
Peekskill’s graduation rate is left out because its campus and institution disclosures give different figures. Campus rates are in each campus description below. Across campuses, graduation ran from 36.21% (Charlotte, NC) to 94.67% (Green Bay, WI), placement from 30.00% (Augusta, GA) to 97.92% (Cherry Hill, NJ) and licensure from 52.63% (Atlanta-Northlake, GA) to 100%. A few disclosures carry reference numbers that do not match their campus, so check the PDF for your campus on Empire’s NACCAS rates page.
The NACCAS action notices we checked, from March 2024 to March 2026, named no Empire campus, and no campus page shows a probation notice.
Settlements and lawsuits
In 2017 Empire agreed to a $6.75 million class settlement in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas over student-clinic prices, which plaintiffs said were above the cost of materials, at its Pennsylvania and New Jersey schools; Empire denied wrongdoing. We found no lawsuits or regulatory actions against Empire from 2023 to 2026.
Closed and moved campuses
Seventeen campuses on older listings, including ours, are closed or no longer on Empire’s list: Flagstaff and Phoenix (Glendale Avenue), AZ; Lauderhill, FL; Atlanta-Dunwoody, GA; Hanover Park, IL; Louisville (Bardstown Road), KY; Portland, ME; Boston (West Street) and Framingham, MA; Bordentown and Paramus, NJ; Bensonhurst (Brooklyn), NY; Greensboro (Wendover Avenue) and Matthews, NC; Warminster, PA; and Memphis (Coleman Road and Highland Street), TN. The latest dated closures we found were in 2020. Two campuses have moved: Kennesaw, GA to George Busbee Parkway NW and Indianapolis to South Emerson Avenue. Newport News, VA was open by 2024.
Housing and career help
Empire does not offer housing. Its catalogs describe placement assistance and state that placement is not guaranteed, and its site links to BeautyCareer.com.
Before you enroll
- Hours depend on the state. Cosmetology is 1,000 hours in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia but 1,500 or 1,550 in most other Empire states. If you may move, check how many hours your future state requires before choosing a campus.
- Results vary widely by campus. In Empire’s 2024 NACCAS disclosures, graduation ran from 36.21% (Charlotte, NC) to 94.67% (Green Bay, WI), placement from 30.00% (Augusta, GA) to 97.92% (Cherry Hill, NJ) and licensure from 52.63% (Atlanta-Northlake, GA) to 100%. Ask for your campus’s own disclosure.
- Check what your campus actually teaches. Several campus pages still list a nail technology program that Empire says it does not currently offer. Esthetics is taught at only 16 campuses, and instructor training is not taught in nine states.
- Two listed campuses are not enrolling. Aurora, CO and Vernon Hills, IL appear on Empire’s state pages but say they are not enrolling, and Empire’s homepage still says 76 locations against 73 on its state pages.
- Prices have no effective date. The totals on campus pages carry no start date and differ slightly from catalog figures (New York’s catalog excludes sales tax). Get the figure in your enrollment agreement.
What students say
No review platform we checked has 25 or more reviews for Empire or any of its campuses (October 2026): Trustpilot has 3 and the Niche campus pages one or none. An Endorsal testimonial page for Empire shows 572 reviews at 5.0, but the view is filtered to five-star reviews and curated, so we do not summarize it or give a rating.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Empire campus locations by state · Cosmetology program · Nail Technology (not offered) · Pennsylvania catalog 2026/27 · NACCAS 2024 outcome disclosures · 2022 cohort default rates · Regis–EEG transaction (Feb 2020)
Programs & Courses
Hair
- Cosmetology (1,000 to 1,550 clock hours, by state; every campus)
- Hybrid Cosmetology (1,000 hours, partly online; Manhattan, NY)
Skin
- Esthetics / Aesthetics (300 to 750 hours; 16 campuses)
- Facial Specialist (220 hours; West Palm Beach, FL)
Teaching
- Educator Training, cosmetology instructor (300 to 1,000 hours; hybrid at Pennsylvania campuses)
Campus Locations
Avondale, AZ 9945 W McDowell Rd, Avondale, AZ 85323
Chandler, AZ 2978 N Alma School Rd, Ste 1-3, Chandler, AZ 85224
Tucson, AZ 3030 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85716
Denver (Littleton), CO 8996 W Bowles Ave, Littleton, CO 80123
Denver (Thornton), CO 3811 E 120th Ave, Thornton, CO 80233
Lakeland, FL 5101 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland, FL 33809
Tampa, FL 10083 E Adamo Dr, Tampa, FL 33619
West Palm Beach, FL 4258 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Atlanta (Kennesaw), GA 2615 George Busbee Pkwy NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144
Atlanta (Lawrenceville), GA 1455 Pleasant Hill Rd, Ste 105, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Atlanta (Morrow), GA 1958 Mt Zion Rd, Morrow, GA 30260
Atlanta, GA 2190 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30345
Augusta, GA 3241 Washington Rd, Augusta, GA 30907
Savannah, GA 7400 Abercorn St, Ste 901, Savannah, GA 31406
Chicago (Stone Park), IL 3106 W North Ave, Stone Park, IL 60165
Indianapolis, IN 7915-C S Emerson Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46237
Indianapolis (Speedway), IN 5750 A Crawfordsville Rd, Speedway, IN 46224
Elizabethtown, KY 554 Westport Rd, Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Cincinnati (Florence), KY 7285 Turfway Rd, Florence, KY 41042
Louisville, KY 151 Chenoweth Ln, Louisville, KY 40207
Louisville, KY 5120 Dixie Hwy, Louisville, KY 40216
Boston (Malden), MA 347 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
Baltimore (Glen Burnie), MD 6320 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie, MD 21225
Baltimore (Owings Mills), MD 9616 Reistertown Rd, Ste 105, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Bangor, ME 639 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401
Grand Rapids, MI 3583 Alpine Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544
Grand Rapids, MI 455 Standale Plaza, Grand Rapids, MI 49534
Kalamazoo (Portage), MI 6091 Constitution Blvd, Portage, MI 49024
Bloomington, MN 9749 Lyndale Ave, Bloomington, MN 55420
Spring Lake Park, MN 8205 University Ave NE, Spring Lake Park, MN 55432
Charlotte, NC 4901-B N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28213
Charlotte (Concord), NC 10075 Weddington Rd Ext, Concord, NC 28027
Charlotte, NC 8700 Pineville-Matthews Rd, Ste 700, Charlotte, NC 28226
Greensboro, NC 1312 Bridford Pkwy, Ste 105, Greensboro, NC 27407
Winston-Salem, NC 7740 North Point Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Bloomfield, NJ 15 Ward St, Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Cherry Hill, NJ 2100 State Hwy 38, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Newark (Union), NJ 1126 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083
Buffalo (Cheektowaga), NY 2190 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga, NY 14225
New York, NY 22 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001
Peekskill, NY 19 Bank St, Peekskill, NY 10566
Queens (Astoria), NY 38-15 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11103
Rochester, NY 340 Elm Ridge Center Dr, Rochester, NY 14626
Cincinnati, OH 8419 Colerain Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45239
Allentown (Whitehall), PA 1634 Macarthur Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052
Hanover, PA 1000 Carlisle St, Ste 1600, Hanover, PA 17331
Harrisburg, PA 3941 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17109
Lancaster, PA 1801 Columbia Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603
Lebanon, PA 1776 Quentin Rd, Lebanon, PA 17042
Pittsburgh (Monroeville), PA 320 Mall Blvd, Monroeville, PA 15146
Scranton (Moosic), PA 3370 Birney Ave, Moosic, PA 18507
Philadelphia, PA 1522 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Philadelphia (Wyncote), PA 1000 Easton Rd, Wyncote, PA 19095
Philadelphia, PA 4026 Woodhaven Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19154
Pittsburgh, PA 4768 McKnight Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Pottsville, PA 396 Pottsville/St Clair Hwy, Pottsville, PA 17901
Reading, PA 2302 N 5th St Hwy, Reading, PA 19605
Shamokin Dam, PA 30 Baldwin Blvd, Ste 50, Shamokin Dam, PA 17876
Springfield, PA 799 W Sproul Rd, Springfield, PA 19064
Pittsburgh (West Mifflin), PA 2394 Mountainview Dr, West Mifflin, PA 15122
York, PA 2592 Eastern Blvd, York, PA 17402
Providence, RI 151 Broadway, Providence, RI 02903
Jackson, TN 1433 Hollywood Dr, Jackson, TN 38301
Memphis, TN 568 Colonial Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
Nashville (Brentwood), TN 7106 Moores Ln, Ste A, Brentwood, TN 37027
Richmond (Midlothian), VA 10807 Hull Street Rd, Midlothian, VA 23112
Newport News, VA 12365 Hornsby Ln, Ste C, Newport News, VA 23602
Richmond, VA 9049 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23294
Virginia Beach, VA 116 S Independence Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Green Bay (Ashwaubenon), WI 940 Hansen Rd, Ashwaubenon, WI 54304
Milwaukee, WI 5655 S 27th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221