| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit beauty school; an independently owned Paul Mitchell Partner School |
| Campus | 1, in San Francisco, California (South of Market) |
| Credentials | Certificates of Completion (clock-hour programs) |
| Programs | Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetics, Hairstyling, Nail Technology |
| Typical length | About 4 to 14 months by our estimate; the school publishes hours, not weeks |
| Delivery | On campus; Monday hours done remotely on most programs’ day and evening schedules; no fully online program |
| Accreditation | NACCAS; approved by California’s BPPE to operate until 30 January 2028 |
| Federal aid | Yes (FAFSA code 041413), except Nail Technology |
| 2026-27 cost | $8,800 to $31,040 per program, including registration and kit |
| Students | 205 enrolled during 2024 |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A single-campus Paul Mitchell beauty school in San Francisco
San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology (SFIEC) trains students for California’s beauty licences: cosmetologist, barber, esthetician, hairstylist and manicurist. It is a private, for-profit school, independently owned and operated as a Paul Mitchell Partner School, which means it is a franchise of Paul Mitchell Advanced Education, LLC. Its catalog gives 2002 as the founding year. Everything is taught at one campus on Folsom Street in the South of Market district, where students practise on paying guests in the school’s clinic. The state counted 205 students enrolled during 2024. The biggest recent change is a 1,400-hour cosmetology program, added in July 2026 alongside the 1,000-hour version.
Seven certificate programs
Every program is a clock-hour Certificate of Completion that prepares students for a California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licence exam. The school publishes hours and weekly schedules but no week counts, so the lengths below are our estimates from hours per week.
| Program | Clock hours | Length at 35 / 28 / 23 hours a week (our estimate) | Schedules | California licence exam | 2026-27 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 1,000 | About 29 / 36 / 43 weeks | Day, four-day or evening | Cosmetologist | $23,980 |
| Cosmetology (added July 2026) | 1,400 | About 40 / 50 / 61 weeks | Day or evening (with Saturdays), or four-day | Cosmetologist | $31,040 |
| Barbering | 1,000 | About 29 / 36 / 43 weeks | Day, four-day or evening | Barber | $21,875 |
| Esthetics | 600 | About 17 / 21 / 26 weeks | Day, four-day or evening | Esthetician | $17,776 |
| Esthetics | 800 | About 23 / 29 / 35 weeks | Day or evening (with Saturdays), or four-day | Esthetician | $21,215 |
| Hairstyling | 600 | About 17 / 21 / 26 weeks | Day, four-day or evening | Hairstylist | $14,228 |
| Nail Technology | 400 | About 17 weeks | Evening only; no federal aid | Manicurist | $8,800 |
Day students attend about 35 hours a week, four-day students 28, and evening students 23, with evening classes from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. On the day and evening schedules of the other five programs, Monday’s hours are done remotely; the 1,400-hour cosmetology and 800-hour esthetics day and evening schedules add Saturday on campus instead. The catalog also describes hybrid versions of Cosmetology 1,000, Barbering, Esthetics 600 and Nail Technology with up to 46% of hours by distance learning, but the school’s program pages don’t offer them, so ask whether they run.
What the main programs cover
Cosmetology
According to the catalog, cosmetology runs in five cycles: Core, two Adaptive cycles and two Creative cycles. Core is the first 300 hours of classroom workshops; after that, students work on paying guests on the clinic floor. The 1,000-hour program covers the state minimums, including 200 hours each of chemical hair services and hairstyling, 150 of skin care, 100 of manicure and pedicure and 100 each of health and safety and of disinfection. The 1,400-hour version adds 400 hours of skin care and cutting with shears, razors, clippers and trimmers.
Barbering
Barbering uses the same cycles, with the same 300-hour Core before clinic work. Its 1,000 hours follow the state minimums: 200 hours of shaving and beard trimming, 200 of chemical hair services, 200 of hairstyling, 100 each of health and safety and of disinfection and sanitation, and 200 of additional training. Students pick a 35-, 28- or 23-hour week. The next listed starts are 3 November 2026 and 26 January 2027, with an evening group from 23 February 2027.
Esthetics
The 600-hour program is mostly facials (350 hours), with 200 hours of health and safety and 50 of hair removal and makeup. The 800-hour program pairs 350 hours of skin care with 100 hours each of health and safety and of disinfection and sanitation, 50 of hair removal and lash and brow work, and 200 of nail care. Both lead to the esthetician exam. Upcoming starts are 3 November 2026 (evening 10 November) and 26 January 2027 (evening 2 March 2027).
Nail Technology
Nail Technology is 400 hours, starting with 100 hours of classroom workshops before students move to manicures and pedicures on clinic guests. It runs only in the evening: Tuesday to Friday from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, with Monday hours done remotely, for 23 hours a week. Completers can sit the California manicurist exam. The next listed start is 2 March 2027. It is the only program students cannot pay for with federal financial aid.
2026-27 cost: one price per program
SFIEC charges one price for each program, with no difference by schedule or residency. The totals below include tuition, the $150 registration fee and the student kit, as listed on the school’s catalog cost page for each program. A $1,000 deposit, counted within the total, is due at signing unless other financing is arranged.
| Program | Tuition | Kit | Total with $150 registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology 1,400 hours | $24,500 | $6,390 | $31,040 |
| Cosmetology 1,000 hours | $18,000 | $5,830 | $23,980 |
| Barbering | $17,000 | $4,725 | $21,875 |
| Esthetics 800 hours | $16,400 | $4,665 | $21,215 |
| Esthetics 600 hours | $13,200 | $4,426 | $17,776 |
| Hairstyling | $10,200 | $3,878 | $14,228 |
| Nail Technology | $6,400 | $2,250 | $8,800 |
The 2026 catalog addendum records price revisions in March and July 2026. Costs have risen since 2024, when the state’s annual report listed $22,105 for Cosmetology 1,000 hours and $20,050 for Barbering. The program pages also list Milady textbooks at $295.15 each ($590.30 for Esthetics 800), and it is not clear whether they are part of the kit. Students who need hours after their scheduled end date pay by the hour, from $16 for Nail Technology to $22 for Esthetics 600.
Federal aid (Pell Grants, the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant and Direct Loans, including Parent PLUS) covers every program except Nail Technology; 33% of students had federal loans in 2024. The school runs a Paul Mitchell Schools scholarship of up to $2,000, awarded once and credited after graduation requirements are met; it asks for financial need, two recommendation letters and an essay or video. GI Bill students apply through the financial aid office, and the school reported $499,634 in veterans’ aid for 2024. Vocational Rehabilitation is accepted; Cal Grant and WIOA are not.
Admission and start dates
According to the August 2026 catalog, admission is open to applicants who meet these requirements: a high school diploma or equivalent (GED, HiSET, a recognised home-school completion or 60 transferable semester credits), an interview with an admissions advisor, government photo ID and the $150 registration fee. The catalog sets the minimum age at 18 on the first day, with younger applicants interviewing with the director, and says students without a Social Security number cannot sit the California licence exam. Cosmetology full-time classes have four 2026 start dates (27 January, 19 May, 11 August and 3 November); the next starts for cosmetology, barbering and esthetics are 3 November 2026 and 26 January 2027.
Accreditation and results
SFIEC is accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts & Sciences (NACCAS), and the catalog says California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) has approved it to operate until 30 January 2028. BPPE’s 2024 report records no accreditor disciplinary action that year.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation, placement and licensure (NACCAS method) | 93.82% graduation, 73.44% placement, 87.66% licensure | Calendar 2024, whole school, school-reported NACCAS statistics |
| Graduation rate (federal) | 87% within 150% of normal time | 2021-22 cohort of first-time, full-time students, IPEDS figures in the catalog |
| On-time completion (within the scheduled length) | Barbering 19%, Cosmetology 29%, Esthetics 36%, Nail Technology 38% | 2024, BPPE annual report |
| Licence exam pass rate | Cosmetology 65.91% (29 of 44), Esthetics 77.22% (61 of 79), Barbering 19 of 19, Nail Technology 4 of 4 | 2024, same BPPE report |
These figures measure different things. NACCAS’s standard method and the federal rate count students who finish within one and a half times the scheduled length; BPPE counts only those who finish on time, which is why its completion rates are much lower. NACCAS licensure counts graduates who pass at any attempt, while the BPPE figure covers exam results reported for 2024, when the cosmetology pass rate fell from 85.96% in 2023 to 65.91%.
Before you enroll
- Most students do not finish on schedule. BPPE’s 2024 on-time completion rates were 19% to 38% by program, and hours after the scheduled end date are billed by the hour, so ask how many students finish on time in your program and schedule.
- The kit is a large part of the price: $2,250 to $6,390. The catalog labels it non-refundable but footnotes that it is refundable during the cancellation period, so get the refund terms in writing.
- Nail Technology has no federal aid, runs only in the evening and is small: eight students started in 2024.
- The 800-hour esthetics program includes 200 hours of nail care, but it prepares you for the esthetician exam only; the manicurist licence needs the separate Nail Technology program.
- The catalog’s hybrid options are not offered on the school’s program pages. If you need fewer campus hours, ask whether a hybrid section is running before you sign.
Housing and career help
The school has no housing and, according to the catalog, does not help students find it, though it keeps a list of rentals within two miles. The catalog describes career advising, résumé and job-search help, and guidance on licensing and transferring a licence to another state. It also describes a Design Team, chosen by tryout, that works Bay Area events, runway shows and photo shoots.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Hair
- Cosmetology, 1,000 hours (Certificate of Completion)
- Cosmetology, 1,400 hours (Certificate of Completion, added July 2026)
- Barbering, 1,000 hours (Certificate of Completion)
- Hairstyling, 600 hours (Certificate of Completion)
Skin and Nails
- Esthetics, 600 hours (Certificate of Completion)
- Esthetics, 800 hours (Certificate of Completion)
- Nail Technology, 400 hours (Certificate of Completion, evenings only)
Campus Locations
San Francisco, CA 1067 Folsom St, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103