Barber/Stylist

Admission is governed by the college’s published School Catalog 2025. The college states that it considers each applicant on ability, character references, general aptitude and the admissions examination, and accepts students only if it believes they will succeed.

The Barber/Stylist course is 1,500 clock hours, and a clock hour is defined by the college as 60 minutes. Three schedules are published:

• Full time, 40 hours a week — about 38 class weeks (the tuition schedule elsewhere in the catalog gives 57 weeks for this option)
• Full time, 30 hours a week — about 50 class weeks (75 weeks in the tuition schedule)
• Part time, 20 hours a week — about 75 class weeks (113 weeks in the tuition schedule)

The two tables in the catalog give different week counts for the same three options — the “Measure of Course Duration” table counts class weeks and the maximum time frame table counts calendar weeks against a 2,250-hour (150 per cent) ceiling. Both are reproduced above rather than one being silently preferred; confirm which applies to your contract.

Maximum time frame. The scheduled-hours ceiling is 2,250 hours — 150 per cent of the programme — on every schedule.

Class size. Lecture classes are capped at 20 students and laboratory classes at 20, with a maximum student-teacher ratio of 20:1 for lecture and 15:1 for laboratory.

Overtime is charged. Hours required beyond your contracted graduation date are billed at $20.00 per hour, payable by the student.

Assessment. Students are graded in both theory and practical work, and must pass the theory and practical examinations with at least 70 per cent before working on patrons. Theory is taught throughout the entire programme rather than being front-loaded.

The published total for the Barber/Stylist course is $15,100.00, itemised by the college as a $50.00 non-refundable registration fee, $13,500.00 tuition and $1,550.00 for kit, supplies and books. Those three lines add to the printed total exactly. The catalog states that the period of attendance is the entire programme.

Read the edition date before you rely on the price. The only catalog the college publishes is the 2025 edition, published 02 January 2025 with a stated period covered of 01/02/2025 to 12/31/2025. That period has lapsed and no newer edition is published on the site. The catalog itself says tuition, kit and supplies and registration course costs are subject to change. Confirm the current total in writing with admissions before you sign. The figures above are what the school most recently published, not a guarantee of what you will be quoted.

What is not in the $15,100.00. The State examination fee of $75.00 and the licence fee of $50.00 — $125.00 together — are listed as additional fees. Overtime beyond the contracted graduation date is $20.00 per hour. An administrative withdrawal fee of $150.00 applies to students who withdraw or are terminated. Additional copies of State Board paperwork cost $35.00 each.

The refund ladder is published in full. Against the $13,500.00 tuition, and after deducting the $50.00 registration fee and $1,550.00 kit, the catalog prints the refund at each point of withdrawal: $12,150.00 at 10 per cent of the programme completed, $10,125.00 at 25 per cent, $6,750.00 at 50 per cent, and $0.00 at 61 per cent and beyond (also $0.00 at 75 and 100 per cent). Knowing the shape of that curve before enrolling is worth more than most of the brochure.

Funding. The college is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Rehabilitation, and states that it participates in state funding programmes subject to student eligibility and programme availability. Its Veterans catalog addendum sets separate rules for maximum capacity, prior credit, refunds, registration fee, maximum time frame and standards of progress; under it the maximum non-refundable registration fee chargeable to a veteran or eligible person is $10.00 and instruction is charged at $8.00 per hour.

No institutional fee waiver. The college states plainly that it offers none, and that scholarships are at the Director’s discretion. It also does not provide visa services, does not assist with obtaining a student visa, and does not guarantee visa eligibility.

Student Tuition Recovery Fund. California’s STRF applies to students at qualifying institutions who are California residents or enrolled in a residency programme; the assessment rate has been $0.00 per $1,000 of institutional charges since 1 April 2024. The college’s fee table prints no STRF line, so none is asserted here.

$15,100.00 in total as most recently published: $13,500.00 tuition, a $50.00 registration fee and $1,550.00 kit, supplies and books. State exam and licence fees ($125.00) are extra.

Graduates of the 1,500-hour Barber/Stylist course are eligible to sit the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology examination for a barber licence. The state requires completion of a barber/stylist course at a school or apprenticeship programme approved by the California State Board.

The examination and licence fees are not included in the programme price: $75.00 for the State examination and $50.00 for the licence, $125.00 in total.

The training covers the full range of barber practice a licensed barber is expected to perform: haircutting with scissors, razor, clippers, trimmers and thinning shears, wet and dry; hairstyling across all hair textures, including finger waving, comb outs, straightening, waving and thermal and blow styling; permanent waving and chemical straightening; hair colouring, bleaching, high and low lights and the use of dye removers; shaving with a straight razor, facial services, facial massage and rolling cream massage.

It also covers the business side the State requires: professional ethics, salesmanship, client record-keeping, decorum, and basic tax information for booth renters, independent contractors, employees and employers — the parts that matter if you intend to rent a chair or open a shop.

Borner’s runs a Borner’s Barber Network and publishes a scholarship directory, community events and guest educator sessions on its site.

The clinic floor is the course. Once a student has completed orientation and received the student barber tool kit, practical operations across all aspects of the curriculum form part of the weekly routine — which is why 1,100 of the 1,500 hours sit under “Miscellaneous Practical Training”. Students must pass the theory and practical examinations at 70 per cent or better before working on patrons, and are instructed to cut the hair of and render barber services to all patrons.

Grading. Students are graded in both theory and practical work on a standard scale, with 90–100 per cent an A (4.0). Theory runs throughout the entire programme.

Class sizes. A maximum of 20 students in lecture and 20 in laboratory, with ratios of 20:1 and 15:1 respectively.

Two campuses, one school. Los Angeles (8913 South Western Avenue) is the main campus and Pasadena (1284 North Lake Avenue) is an additional location. Internal transfer between them is allowed with the School Director’s approval — but no external transfer credit is accepted from any other institution, and the college has no articulation agreement with any college or university.

English only. All classes are taught in English.

Graduation and attendance. Students must attend all 1,500 required hours. Running past the contracted graduation date costs $20.00 an hour, and withdrawal or termination carries a $150.00 administrative fee.

A school with a history in South Los Angeles. Formerly American Barber College, bought in 1990, renamed in 1994, moved to South Western Avenue in 1995, rebuilt after a fire in November 2006, and NACCAS-accredited since 2007.