Barbering

Admission is selective, and an in-person visit is required. The catalog states: "Admission to Champ’s Barber School is on a selective basis. A personal interview and visit to the school are required of all prospective students."

Applicants must meet the state minimum age requirement and submit or complete:

• A Pre-Enrollment Application.
• An interview with a member of the local admissions department.
• A completed and signed Enrollment Agreement.
• A federally issued social security card.
• A state or federally issued photo ID, or a birth certificate and photo ID.
• A copy of a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED).
• Non-US residents: an Alien Registration Card or a recognised Visa (I-94).

There is no ability-to-benefit route. The catalog states plainly that the school "does not offer ATB", so the diploma or GED is a real requirement rather than one that can be tested around.

Diplomas are verified, and that can take time. If the school "has reason to believe the high school diploma or GED provided … is not valid", enrolment stops until the applicant provides further documentation — the issuing school’s accreditation status, a transcript showing grades and a graduation date, a letter from the principal, validation through parchment.com, or other documentation the school can telephone and verify. Allow time for this if your diploma is from an online or out-of-state provider.

Licensed cosmetologists transfer 555 hours. A cosmetologist applying under the State Board of Barbering transfer of 555 hours of credit into the barbering programme must hold a valid Pennsylvania Cosmetology Licence. Other transfer students are accepted case by case and hours earned must be certified.

There is no online application. The form on the school’s "Apply" page is, in its own words, an interest form: "Once you fill out your interest form below, one of our staff will be in touch to discuss financial aid options (for those who qualify) and schedule an interview." The Pre-Enrollment Application and Enrollment Agreement are completed with the school.

The school states it does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, colour, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion or handicap, and that it does not require vaccinations to enrol.

Barbering is 1,250 clock hours, which the catalog states "follows the Pennsylvania State Board requirement".

Enrollment is rolling. The school states on its own application page that it has "rolling enrollment and can be flexible with your start date" — so there is no fixed cohort you have to wait for.

Hours are counted strictly, and to the minute. Students sign in and out on a hand scanner; if it fails, hours must be signed by a teacher. Time is "tallied as straight time (we do not round the hours to the nearest quarter)", and students receive credit for all time recorded. Doors lock at 9:05 for AM theory.

Attendance is made up, not written off. The catalog states all unexcused hours must be made up by the student, with a make-up form completed. The school also warns it may drop a student who appears to be "stealing hours".

Graduating. To graduate you must complete 100% of the required programme hours, achieve a minimum written grade average of 70%, pass a final written and practical examination, and achieve a minimum grade of "A" on the final practical evaluation. Practical work is marked against a written rubric that administration issues to every instructor at hire and trains them on.

What this programme costs. The catalog’s Program Cost of Attendance block lists a $100 school registration fee, a $1,600 kit and book fee and $18,900 tuition — $20,600 in total.

The tuition is published as a rate, and it reconciles exactly. The catalog states the cost of attendance tuition rate "is calculated by a flat fee of $15.12 per hour" across 1,250 hours. $15.12 × 1,250 = $18,900, the printed tuition to the dollar. That is a useful check: if you are quoted a different figure, ask which rate and how many hours it is built from.

How current these figures are. This is the newest catalog the school publishes and it was uploaded to its website in April 2026, but the document’s own running footer reads "Updated October 2024, Vol. 8" on every page — so the content is the October 2024 revision. No expiry date is stated anywhere in it. Confirm the tuition with the school before you enrol rather than treating a two-year-old revision as a quote.

Costs the school lists but does not charge. The catalog separately estimates room and board at $5,824 and transportation at $1,008 as additional costs related to attendance. These are living costs used for financial-aid budgeting, are not paid to the school, and are not part of the $20,600 above. The catalog also notes students "may have additional costs relating to attendance based on their own personal living situations".

Financial aid. The school participates in federal student aid: the catalog sets out Pell Grant and Direct Loan handling, Direct Parent PLUS Loans, Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculations and post-withdrawal disbursements, and states its Title IV academic year runs January to December. It states that if a return of federal aid leaves a balance, the school will notify the student by mail or email within 30 days of determining the withdrawal, and that where a credit balance is owed the student it will provide a refund cheque within 14 days.

The catalog does not print a federal school code, so none is shown here. Ask the school for it, or look the school up at studentaid.gov, before you file your FAFSA — this listing does not guess one.

Licensing. The 1,250-hour programme follows the Pennsylvania State Board of Barber Examiners requirement, and the school states its goal is that each student "satisfactorily complete the course, pass the required State Board Examination, and obtain entry-level employment within the Barber profession".

What the curriculum points you toward. Fifty hours go to "The Business of Barbering / PA Laws and Regulations", another fifty to "Manager-Barber, Shop Management, Orientation, Exams, and career Advising", and twenty-five to "Professional Skills, Ethics, and Barbershop Image" — 125 of the 1,250 hours on running a shop and finding work, which is a tenth of the programme.

No outcome rates are published in this catalog. The October 2024 revision carries no graduation, licensure or placement rate. NACCAS-accredited schools report those figures annually, so the school will have them — ask the admissions office for its most recent NACCAS annual report rates, in writing, before you enrol. This listing does not estimate them.

Where you learn. Champ’s teaches at three Pennsylvania locations, and the catalog publishes the size of each: Lancaster approximately 2,166 square feet, Lebanon 3,344 and York 3,219. Each consists of a client and student reception area, the clinic floor, a theory classroom that doubles as the student break area, two restrooms as Pennsylvania State law requires, and a dispensary. Equipment, the catalog notes, "is governed by Pennsylvania State Board".

You learn on real customers. The clinic floor is the centre of each building, and the programme’s 760 hands-on hours are spent there.

What you buy. The kit and book fee is $1,600, on top of $18,900 tuition and the $100 registration fee, and it is inside the school’s printed $20,600 total.

How you are assessed. Practical evaluations are graded against a rubric administration provides to every instructor at hire and trains them on, setting out "specific criteria to determine level of competency". Instructors give feedback on completion of each evaluation or assignment. Written work must average 70%, and the final practical evaluation must be graded "A".

Attendance, counted honestly in both directions. Hours are recorded on a hand scanner as straight time with no rounding, so you are credited for exactly what you attend — and equally, all unexcused hours must be made up. Doors lock at 9:05 for morning theory.

If you leave and want to come back. A student who withdrew or was dropped may re-apply after 30 days from the effective withdrawal, returning with their previous hours as transfer hours, with financial aid disbursed according to those hours and their previous ledger balance.