Charleston Cosmetology Institute
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Overview
Charleston Cosmetology Institute is in a large suburb with more than 250,000 residents. It is in the Charleston-North Charleston SC area.
Highlights
Undergraduate program with the highest reported starting salary ($17K): Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Largest undergraduate program (26): Cosmetology
Address
8484 Dorchester Road
Charleston, SC 29420
SOURCES:
Accreditation:
good
Institutional Control
Charleston Cosmetology Institute is a private for-profit organization and is related to other schools.
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Accreditation
Accreditation provides important oversight over a school's instructional practices and institutional stability.
Charleston Cosmetology Institute holds an accreditation from one of the national accreditors. Credits earned from the national accreditors are often not accepted by schools holding the more prestigious regional accreditation, and it's important to verify that your credits will transfer if you are considering an eventual switch to another school.
Accreditation History
Council on Occupational Education (Accredited November 11, 1986 - present)
  • The accreditation was recently renewed on February 22, 2016.
  • The next accreditation review is scheduled for December 31, 2021.
Undergraduate Students
Not all students attend their first college full time to completion. While some schools are focused on those that population, many schools focus on transfer and or part time students. What types of of student does this school support.
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Admissions
Open Admissions
Charleston Cosmetology Institute is an open admissions school and accepts any student who applies.
SOURCES:
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Admissions Details
Here are some important dates and little tidbits. Please double-check this information on the Charleston Cosmetology Institute's webpage for the most up-to-date and accurate answers! We update this information with each school's annual reporting, but information can change unexpectedly. Select any item to view the details.
Admissions Criteria & Qualifications
Admissions Criteria & Qualifications
Application Fee & Common App
Application Fee & Common App
Charleston Cosmetology Institute has an undergraduate application fee of $100. We did not find Charleston Cosmetology Institute on the Common Application site. Keep in mind that it never hurts to inquire with an Admissions office to see whether they might be willing to waive your application fee.
Credits accepted from new students
Credits accepted from new students
Charleston Cosmetology Institute accepts the following credits:
  • Open admission (school accepts any student who applies)
Programs
Charleston Cosmetology Institute program offerings
What award level are you pursuing?
0-1 Year Certificate
Select a degree to see the details, or use the sankey below to explore the options.
Select a degree
Charleston Cosmetology InstituteAesthetician and Skin Car...Nail Technician and Manic...Top 10 matching degrees
Career
Costs
Current Program Costs

Schools report total costs for (up to) their six largest career-oriented programs. You can explore the costs by selecting the "+" symbol for programs that interest you. The average months to complete apply to full-time students. Additionally, if program length is reported in contact hours, then the time literally represents time with an instructor. Alternatively, credit hours approximate instructional time, but are not inclusive of total time spent by students in learning.

The cost details offer you comparisons to the costs of similar programs available in your context group. However, schools offering similar programs often have slightly different times to complete, and therefore we have grouped all programs that are 6 or fewer months, over 6 to 12 months, over 12 to 18 months, and more than 18 months. You can find the other schools offering this program using our school explorer.

You will find the most up-to-date information at this school's website for admissions.

Aesthetician and Skin Care Specialist (5 Months)
This program is Charleston Cosmetology Institute's 3rd largest program. On average, students take 5 months of full-time study to complete the required 600 contact hours. This program is being compared to all Aesthetician and Skin Care Specialist certificate programs within the context schools that take 6 months or fewer to complete.
Expense type
Tuition and fees
Amount
$10,995
Context: costs of similar programs
$10,995$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000
Cosmetology (13 Months)
This program is Charleston Cosmetology Institute's 1st largest program. On average, students take 13 months of full-time study to complete the required 1500 contact hours. This program is being compared to all Cosmetology certificate programs within the context schools that take longer than a year but less than 18 months to complete.
Expense type
Tuition and fees
Amount
$17,500
Context: costs of similar programs
$17,500$10,000$12,000$14,000$16,000$18,000$20,000$22,000
Cosmetology (5 Months)
This program is Charleston Cosmetology Institute's 4th largest program. On average, students take 5 months of full-time study to complete the required 600 contact hours. This program is being compared to all Cosmetology certificate programs within the context schools that take 6 months or fewer to complete.
Expense type
Tuition and fees
Amount
$5,150
Context: costs of similar programs
$5,150$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000
Cosmetology, Barber, and Nail Instructor (7 Months)
This program is Charleston Cosmetology Institute's 2nd largest program. On average, students take 7 months of full-time study to complete the required 750 contact hours. This program is being compared to all Cosmetology, Barber, and Nail Instructor certificate programs within the context schools that take longer than 6 months and up to a full year to complete.
Expense type
Tuition and fees
Amount
$5,150
Context: costs of similar programs
$5,150$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000
SOURCES:
Area living cost estimates
The following cost of living estimates apply to this school's largest program and should reflect the cost for an academic year. We would expect that these costs of living estimates would be uniform across programs, and we additionally recommend that you double-check the estimates through a different source. We found that schools have wildly different estimates of living expenses within the same areas.
Expense type
Miscellaneous costs when living off campus with family
Miscellaneous costs when living off campus without family
Off-campus room and board
Amount
$6,305
$6,305
$14,911
SOURCES:
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Historic Costs by Program
You can explore the programs and corresponding lengths and costs offered over the past ten years using the drop-down menu below the graph. The programs only appear if they were one of the six largest programs offered that year. All dollar amounts have been adjusted for inflation.
Program and length
Aesthetician and Skin Care Specialist (5 months)
$0$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000$12,0002010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Books and supplies
Tuition and fees
Not so much?
Net price: the best estimate for the cost to attend
Most schools publish tuition rates that give them room to offer both scholarships and financial aid where applicable. Your best estimate of what might pay is to see what others with similar family incomes have paid. A more tailored and accurate estimate is available at this school's net price calculator.
Understanding net price

With their net price calculators, many colleges and universities give an idea of what merit-based aid might accompany need-based aid. For schools that share such data, we also provide financial aid data in the Finanical Aid sections.

There are some caveats to consider when using the net price estimates:

  • The net price calculation is weighted by this school's proportion of students living on- and off-campus and this school's estimate of off-campus costs, which may cause the net price methodology be a bit inconsistent from school to school.
  • Parental income and student financial aid eligibility is sometimes more complicated than the simple family income number reported here.
  • The net price calculation for all students is inclusive of students who received any institutional or government aid, but at the family income levels the net price only considers the tuition paid by those who qualified for federal aid.

You can get a little better guess at what you would pay by using this school's net price calculator.

Percentage of students receiving any aid
The donut, based on 68 full-time first-time degree seeking students at Charleston Cosmetology Institute, shows the percentage of those who received any financial aid (including merit-based scholarships), subdivided by family income.
53%
Aid type and family income
Federal: $0-30K
Federal: $30K-48K
Federal: $48K-75K
Federal: $75K-110K
Federal: Above $110K
Only institutional
Net price by family income
All Incomes
Let's look over the past few years at what freshmen who received any financial aid actually paid for tuition, fees, books, and living expenses on average, and how that compares to the tuition usually paid for other private universities in your context group. Public universities only report net price for in-state students.
20112012201320142015201620172018$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000
Chart explanation
Charleston Cosmetology Institute
On the blue curve, we see how the net annual cost to attend Charleston Cosmetology Institute has changed over the years.
Context Schools
The shading shows the spread of the net price for the context schools. The dark shading shows the middle 50% of context schools, and the light shading shows all but the smallest and largest 10%.
Customize your context group using the gear at the top of the page!
Outcomes
Graduation Rate
Approximately 85% of undergraduate students are full-time. In the last reporting year, 88% of full-time first-time students received a degree within 150% of the expected time for completion.
88%
Time to complete
On time
50% more time
Context: Graduation rate
These numbers reflect the percentage of full-time first-time students who graduate with a 2-year degree or certificate within 3 years.
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Loan Status
This donut shows the percentage of students who are in good standing (green) in repaying any federal student loans five years after leaving Charleston Cosmetology Institute.
Status of loans
Currently paying
More than 90 days late in paying
In default
Not released due to privacy
Context: Loans with good standing
About 67% of the context schools have better performance, suggesting that Charleston Cosmetology Institute's alumni earnings-to-debt ratios are low compared to the context schools' alumni.
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Context and trends: Repayment Rate
How much progress do you think you'll be able to make towards paying down your college loans seven years after leaving school? In our research, we discovered that a surprisingly large number of students don't default on their loans, but also aren't making progress in paying down their principal amount. The percentages here count alumni who have decreased their loan amounts by at least $1.
Years after leaving school.
7
5
3
201320142015201620%40%60%80%100%Former students with decreased loan principal
Chart explanation
Charleston Cosmetology Institute
On the blue curve, we see the percentage of alumni from Charleston Cosmetology Institute who have successfully reduced their federal school loans by at least $1 by the date shown, which is 7 years after leaving the school.
Context Schools
The shading shows the spread of the loan repayment rate for the context schools. The dark shading shows the middle 50% of context schools, and the light shading shows all but the smallest and largest 10%.
Customize your context group using the gear at the top of the page!
Context and trends: are the loan default rates as small as possible?
The default rate is the percentage of students who are already delinquent on their loans within three years of leaving the school. If a school has a high default rate, that sends an alarm out that the students' educations are not sufficient to earn enough to repay those loans. Read below for details on the typical loan burden, and keep in mind that a low default rate may be more important than loan amounts in predicting your future success.
201420152016201720180%5%10%15%20%25%Former students with loan payment failure
Chart explanation
Charleston Cosmetology Institute
On the blue curve, we see the percentage of alumni from Charleston Cosmetology Institute who have defaulted on their federal school loans within 3 years ending on the date shown.
Context Schools
The shading shows the spread of the 3-year loan default rate for the context schools. The dark shading shows the middle 50% of context schools, and the light shading shows all but the smallest and largest 10%.
Customize your context group using the gear at the top of the page!
Loan burden
At Charleston Cosmetology Institute, 57% of full-time degree-seeking freshmen receive federal student loans, averaging $4,526 each in just the freshman year. We have much more details about the full loan burden students experience in our Cost and Financial Aid Section.
Context: Percentage of freshmen with federal loans
57%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Average freshman federal loan amount
$4,526$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000
Not so much?
Classroom Experience
Student attention at Charleston Cosmetology Institute
Schools are required to report the ratio of students per instructor, but look for a small number of students for every full-time instructor as your best indicator of personal attention and a modern well-integrated curriculum.
23100204060Full-time inst.Any inst.
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Full-time and long-term instructors at Charleston Cosmetology Institute
Full-time faculty are mostly likely to be on campus and available for interaction, and to craft up-to-date courses and programs. Charleston Cosmetology Institute has 57% full-time instructors, and this is near the middle of the context schools' percentages of full-time instructors. Faculty with multi-year contracts provide additional stability and commitment to the school and its students.Within the full-time instructors at Charleston Cosmetology Institute, none have multi-year employment contracts. Of the context schools, only 31% have instructors with multi-year contracts.
Full-time instructors
57%
Long-term instructors
0%
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Housing
No Student Housing Available
This school does not report any housing for students.
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Activities and Services
Undergraduate services offered
  • Academic/career counseling services
  • Placement services for program completers
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Programs for Veterans
If you are a veteran, it's worth digging around to find a military-friendly campus. We think this article about how colleges might help veterans might be a good starting point for questions to ask the Admissions office before you choose to attend. It's also good to be aware that many for-profit schools are behaving as predators, hungry for GI Bill dollars. Watching out for those schools is no different for veterans than for all students: judge very critically using our "Student Satisfaction and Success" tab for undergraduate programs. We wish we had the same data to support graduate programs; however, we think the undergraduate data is a good starting point for judging overall quality.
  • Yellow Ribbon Program
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Student Body
Study Types
About 85% of students are full-time. No students take distance education courses.
Full-time
85%
Online classes
0%
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Context: Student body size
Charleston Cosmetology Institute enrolled 206 students over the past academic year. The the student body size is smaller than 71% of the context schools.
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Undergraduate student gender
Is the gender balance of Charleston Cosmetology Institute students important to you? You can see the breakdown in this donut chart.
Gender
Men
Women
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Undergraduate student race/origin
Charleston Cosmetology Institute reports that 67% of students are minority, which is near the middle of the context schools. Similarly, this school's 0 of international students is near the middle proportion of international students within the context schools.
Race/Origin
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian
Multiracial
SOURCES:
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Context: Gender Balance
It is very difficult for many types of schools to achieve a gender balance, and this context is valuable in evaluating the balance at Charleston Cosmetology Institute.
7%93%0%20%40%60%80%100%MenWomen
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Context: Percentage of women
With 93% women students, Charleston Cosmetology Institute has a higher percentage of women than 81% of context schools.
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Context: Student race/origin
Here is how Charleston Cosmetology Institute compares to the rest of the context group in terms of diversity in the student race and origin.
58%33%2%1%6%0%20%40%60%80%100%Pacific IslanderAsianNot ReportedInternationalAmerican IndianHispanicMultiracialWhiteBlack
Freshman residences

A high proportion of international and out-of-state students speaks to reputation and offers an opportunity for diverse interactions in and out of class.

Freshman residence
In-state
Out-of-state
International
Not Reported
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Student age distribution
The age distribution at a school can tell you a lot about its mission. If you're looking for a traditional undergraduate experience, you may prefer to see students who are mostly younger than 25 (lighter shades), but if you want support as a returning student, a large number of students 25 and older (darker shades) may better suit your needs.
Age range
18-19
20-21
22-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-49
50-64
Unknown
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School Finances
Charleston Cosmetology Institute: What its budget can tell you about classroom quality
Where a school spends and collects its money can suggest a lot about the educational experience it offers. The tabs below offer a look at spending that is important for the quality of your experience if you attend.
Instructional spending
Context and trends: Instructional expenditures per student
Instructional expenses are primarily the salary and benefits paid to the heart of a school: its full-time instructors. High expenditures in this area suggest care in hiring enough highly qualified full-time faculty to provide personal attention and up-to-date subject-area excellence.
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018$0$5,000$10,000$15,000
Chart explanation
Charleston Cosmetology Institute
On the blue curve, we see how the instructional expenses per student at Charleston Cosmetology Institute have changed over the years.
Context Schools
The shading shows the spread of the instructional expenses per student for the context schools. The dark shading shows the middle 50% of context schools, and the light shading shows all but the smallest and largest 10%.
All values have been adjusted for inflation. Customize your context group using the gear at the top of the page!
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Does incoming revenue consistently cover expenses?

Charleston Cosmetology Institute is a private for-profit school, meaning that its annual goal is to make a profit for its shareholders. The other types of schools are public or not-for-profit, and profit is not a goal.

Total revenue and expenses by category
We divided revenue and expenses for Charleston Cosmetology Institute into categories to give some insight to what may have influenced peaks and ditches in the chart above. The purple shades correspond most directly to student education. The blue shades, auxiliary expenses and revenue, are often related to room and board. We show investment gains and losses in apricot.
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2MRevenue$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2MExpense
Investment gains
Tuition and fees revenue
Educational sales revenue
Other revenue
Investment losses
Instructional expenses
Academic & instructional support, student services expenses
Academic support expenses
Institutional support expenses
Other expenses