Class A Barber is a Certificate program offered by Deluxe Barber College in San Antonio, TX. The program takes About 8 months full time to complete, with a total tuition of $12,000.
Program Overview
The Class A Barber program is 1,000 clock hours, about eight months full time, training students in the art and science of barbering and hairstyling and the importance of good public relations, and preparing them for the Texas State Board licensing examination. Of the 1,000 hours, 130 are theory and 870 are practical work. In the first half you learn theory and practical techniques; in the second half you move onto the shop floor, building confidence cutting clients' hair.
The program covers haircutting and hairstyling, shaving, skin care, business management and the history of barbering. By graduation you should be able to apply safety and infection control procedures, identify hair and scalp disorders, cut hair, shave and remove facial hair, perform men's facials, texture and color services, style and finish hair, follow Texas barber statutes and rules, and use the interpersonal skills the job demands. It prepares students for entry-level work as hair stylists, colorists, chemical applicators and shaving and facial specialists, as well as in shop ownership, management and product sales.
What sets this Program apart
The college’s philosophy. "Deluxe Barber College embraces the philosophy of professionalism and service to the community while allowing each student to realize his/her full earning and production potential."
Who the college is looking for, in its own words. "We need creative, sociable, easy going men and women who love meeting and working with others; and who are interested in a haircutting/hairstyling program." The catalog adds that you can earn your barber diploma in nine months.
Admission Requirements and Process
An admissions representative interviews every prospective student, and registration should be completed the week before your Tuesday start. You provide a valid state ID or driver's license and Social Security card; an application listing four references with their names, addresses and phone numbers; a transcript from your previous school, since TDLR requires at least a seventh-grade education; a high school diploma, transcript or GED, or a qualifying home-school education; the $25 state registration fee; and six 2-by-2 passport photos.
The college checks the validity of any diploma it has reason to doubt, does not accept self-certification, and offers no appeal if a diploma cannot be validated. Students without a diploma may qualify for Title IV aid only through the ability-to-benefit alternatives in an eligible career pathway program. Transfer students may bring up to 500 clock hours from a licensed barber school, after settling what they owe that school, and pay a registration fee of no more than $100 plus the cost of their remaining hours.
School Information
Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Attending an accredited school means its training has been reviewed against independent standards that protect students.
This school: Deluxe Barber College states it is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), certified by the U.S. Department of Education and licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and approved for VA education benefits. The federal accreditation database lists its San Antonio campus under COE.
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Reviewed against independent standards
- Recognized by employers and licensing boards
Accreditations
General Requirements
- IdentificationA valid state ID or driver's license and a Social Security card.
- Application and referencesA completed application listing four references with names, addresses and phone numbers.
- EducationA transcript showing at least seventh grade, plus a high school diploma, transcript, GED or qualifying home-school education.
- Registration itemsThe $25 state registration fee and six 2-by-2 passport photos.
Application Process
- 1Contact admissionsCall 281-456-4600 or use the contact form to arrange a visit and your interview.
- 2Apply for aidComplete the FAFSA with school code 042832.
- 3RegisterComplete registration the week before your start, with your documents, photos and state fee.
- 4Start on a TuesdayClasses begin every Tuesday; new students take a month of orientation classes.
Program Schedule
Enrollment is open all year, with classes starting every Tuesday. Choose a shift:
- Full time, first shift: Tuesday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (45-minute lunch) and Saturday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (1-hour lunch).
- Full time, second shift: Tuesday to Friday 10:30 am to 6:00 pm (45-minute lunch) and Saturday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (1-hour lunch).
- Part time: Tuesday to Friday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Saturday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Full-time students must log at least 144 clock hours a month and part-time students 100, and no one may log more than 7 hours a day. Full-time students finish in about eight months; the catalog's normal time frame is 30 weeks and the maximum 42 weeks, extended by any leave of absence. New students attend a 10:15 to 11:30 am orientation class for their first month, and everyone attends theory Tuesday to Friday at 8:45 am, 11:30 am or 4:00 pm. Saturdays are mandatory.
Holidays. The college closes for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, the Thursday to Saturday of Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day and the day after. The San Antonio campus is open Tuesday to Friday 8:30 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and closed Sunday and Monday.
Curriculum
The catalog's curriculum, listed below, follows the Texas Class A barber requirements. Theory (130 hours) includes anatomy, physiology and histology (50 hours: hair, skin, muscles, nerves, cells, circulation, digestion and bones), bacteriology, sterilization and sanitation (30), Texas barber law and rules (25) and disorders of the skin, scalp and hair (5), with an hour each on twenty further topics from salesmanship and chemistry to honing and stropping and the history of barbering. Practical work (870 hours) is led by dressing the hair (500), shaving (80), styling (50), shampooing and rinsing (30), waving and straightening (25 each), bleaching and dyeing, cleansing and professional ethics (20 each), and shorter blocks on facials, beards and mustaches, hairpieces, first aid and manicuring. The course follows Milady Foundations (life skills, professional image, communication, infection control, chemical and electrical safety, career planning and the beauty business) and Milady Standard Barbering, seventh edition.
Grading and progress. Every subject is examined, and grades run A 90 to 100, B 80 to 89, C 75 to 79, D 70 to 74 and F 69 or below. Practical and clinic work is graded by an instructor's signature on your worksheet or client ticket, which means better than 75%; without it you repeat the work. You receive monthly progress reports, with formal evaluations at 450 and 900 actual hours, and need a 75% cumulative grade average and 70% attendance. A student who falls short is placed on warning for the next period, may appeal in writing within five business days with documentation, and if the appeal succeeds is placed on probation for one evaluation period.
Required Courses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Class A Barber curriculum: theory (hours) | |
| Anatomy, physiology and histology: hair, skin, muscles, nerves, cells, circulatory system, digestion and bones | 50 |
| Texas barber law and rules | 25 |
| Bacteriology, sterilization and sanitation | 30 |
| Disorders of the skin, scalp and hair | 5 |
| Salesmanship | 1 |
| Barbershop management | 1 |
| Chemistry | 1 |
| Shaving | 1 |
| Scalp, hair treatment and skin | 1 |
| Sanitary professional techniques | 1 |
| Professional ethics | 1 |
| Scientific fundamentals of barbering | 1 |
| Cosmetic preparations | 1 |
| Shampooing and rinsing | 1 |
| Cutting and processing curly and over-curly hair | 1 |
| Haircutting, male and female | 1 |
| Theory of massage of scalp, face and neck | 1 |
| Hygiene and good grooming | 1 |
| Barber implements | 1 |
| Honing and stropping | 1 |
| Mustaches and beards | 1 |
| Facial treatments | 1 |
| Electricity and light therapy | 1 |
| History of barbering | 1 |
| Subtotal | 130 |
| Class A Barber curriculum: practical work (hours) | |
| Dressing the hair: men's, children's and women's haircutting, curly and over-curly hair, razor cutting | 500 |
| Shaving | 80 |
| Styling | 50 |
| Shampooing and rinsing | 30 |
| Bleaching and dyeing of the hair | 20 |
| Waving hair | 25 |
| Straightening | 25 |
| Cleansing | 20 |
| Professional ethics | 20 |
| Hair weaving and hairpieces | 5 |
| Processing | 5 |
| Clipping | 5 |
| Beards and mustaches | 6 |
| Shaping | 5 |
| Dressing | 5 |
| Curling | 5 |
| First aid and safety precautions | 5 |
| Scientific fundamentals of barbering | 5 |
| Barber implements | 5 |
| Haircutting: cutting, tapering, trimming, processing and molding, scalp hair treatments and tonics | 10 |
| Massage and facial treatments | 10 |
| Arranging | 10 |
| Beautifying | 10 |
| Singeing | 1 |
| Manicuring | 8 |
| Subtotal | 870 |
| Program Total | 1,000 |
Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid Information
Cost of the program. The 2026-2027 catalog's tuition payment schedule for the Class A Barber program lists $12,000 tuition and fees, $1,500 supplies, $450 books, a $100 registration fee, a $50 badge and a $100 smock, for a $14,200 total. The $25 state registration fee in the admission requirements is listed separately. The required books (Milady Standard Barbering textbook, workbook and exam prep, and the Milady Foundations textbook and workbook) can be bought from the college or online. Transcripts cost $2.
Financial aid. Aid is available to those who qualify. Complete the FAFSA with Deluxe Barber College's school code 042832; Pell Grants are awarded from your FAFSA results and Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan eligibility is added to the package, and first-time borrowers complete a Master Promissory Note and entrance counseling. Students selected for verification must submit documents in their first week. Aid is paid across payment periods of 0 to 450, 451 to 900 and 901 to 1,000 clock hours, and any Title IV credit balance goes to the student within 14 days unless you authorize the college to hold it. VA benefits and support through the Texas Workforce and Rehabilitation Commission (formerly DARS) are also accepted.
Cancelling and refunds. You receive a full refund if you cancel by midnight on the third day after signing, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or if you enrolled because of misrepresentation. If you paid in advance and do not start or withdraw on the first day, the college may keep no more than $100. The catalog's own refund schedule then returns at least 90% of tuition for a withdrawal in the first 10% of the program, 50% within the first 25%, 25% within the first 50%, and nothing in the last half, paid by the 45th day. The Texas Occupations Code section reprinted in the same catalog (1603.3603) sets higher refunds for courses of 12 months or less: 90% in the first week or 10%, 80% within the first three weeks, 75% within the first 25% and 50% within the first 50%, paid within 30 days. Ask the college which schedule your enrollment agreement uses. A student who withdraws after the halfway point may re-enroll within 180 days without extra tuition unless the withdrawal was academic, and a student who takes an incomplete may finish within 48 months without paying more tuition.
Career Outcomes
Licensing. Graduates receive a certificate of completion. Before TDLR issues a license you must pass the written and practical parts of the state board examination, apply and pay the fees. Texas law can restrict licenses for people with a criminal history; the catalog explains that applicants may request a criminal history evaluation letter from TDLR.
Finding work. On completing the program students receive job leads or register with the placement officer, who helps organize resumes and practise interview techniques; the catalog notes the law prohibits any school from guaranteeing placement. It lists careers as a barbershop or barber school owner, product sales specialist, state barber board inspector, men's hairstylist in a salon or barbershop, celebrity personal stylist, hotel, resort or cruise ship barber, self-employed master barber or barber instructor, and the website says many graduates now own shops across Texas.
Published outcomes. Neither the 2026-2027 catalog nor the website pages reviewed publish completion, placement or licensure rates; ask the college for its most recent rates.
What to expect as a Deluxe Barber College student
The campus. The San Antonio campus is in a shopping center in the city's northeast, with public transportation, free parking in front and behind, and restaurants within walking distance. It has a theory room with audiovisual aids, a barber chair and mannequins, labs and spacious clinic areas with work stations, sterilizers, a supply dispensary, shampoo bowls and dryers, a large reception and waiting area, a lunch room with refrigerators and microwaves, and 24-hour security cameras. Students clock in and out on a palm reader. The college also operates an Austin location at 1212 West Parmer Lane, Suite F; this listing covers the San Antonio campus, the location named in the federal record. There is no student housing.
On the clinic floor. The receptionist assigns patrons, and students may not choose, switch or refuse them or solicit tips. Stations are fully cleaned every day before you leave. When not clocked out for lunch you are available to cut, and students may have their own hair done once a week, Tuesday to Thursday, with permission. Dress is a clean smock with neat pants or skirt, closed shoes and socks or hose, and no caps, headphones, shorts or ripped jeans; tools and books must come every day or you cannot clock in.
Attendance and leave. Call in absences by 9:00 am; more than five absences in a calendar month are grounds for dismissal, three tardies count as an absence, and 14 consecutive missed days end your enrollment. Leaves of absence must be requested in advance in writing with the reasons, may be granted more than once, total no more than 180 days in 12 months, carry no extra charge, and extend your contract end date; the financial aid advisor explains the effect on your aid first.
School Information
Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Attending an accredited school means its training has been reviewed against independent standards that protect students.
This school: Deluxe Barber College states it is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), certified by the U.S. Department of Education and licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and approved for VA education benefits. The federal accreditation database lists its San Antonio campus under COE.
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Reviewed against independent standards
- Recognized by employers and licensing boards