Cosmetology

What this programme costs. The catalog’s Tuition block for Cosmetology lists a $125 registration fee, $2,000 equipment and books and $13,075 tuition, for a printed total of $15,200.

How this listing adds it up. The academy prints all four lines and the total, and the total adds up exactly. Note that unlike many schools, the $125 registration fee is inside the academy’s own printed total — so it appears twice on this page, once as a cost line because the catalog counts it in the total, and once in the Application Fee box because that box is where this listing always puts an application or registration fee. It is charged once.

Federal aid: the school code is published. The academy’s Financial Aid page prints its FAFSA school code, 042036 — and that matches the U.S. Department of Education’s own record for this school, so you can file with it. The page states students may be eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Loans and additional federal assistance based on individual eligibility.

Paying the rest. The academy accepts cash, credit card, money order, cashier’s cheque or financial aid, and offers structured payment plans including 0% in-house financing. Instalments are set out on your individual enrolment agreement. There is a 10% discount for payment in full in cash, and a 2% interest charge each month a payment is late.

Other charges to know about. Transferring in costs $100 on admission; re-enrolling after a withdrawal costs $100 with tuition pro-rated, and usable books and kit may be reused rather than repurchased. If you withdraw, the refund policy applies a $150 administrative fee, and cancellation before instruction begins refunds everything except the $125 registration fee. Exceeding your contract end date costs $11.50 an hour. The state licensing application and its fees are paid to PSI, not to the academy, and are not part of these figures.

Licensing. Tennessee licensure follows completion of the required hours and a written and practical exam. The catalog states the application and fees are paid to PSI, which administers the examinations at a Nashville location. The programme is accredited by NACCAS — its directory lists Cosmetology at 1,500 hours for this school, matching the catalog — and the academy is authorised by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and regulated by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.

The academy publishes its outcome rates. The catalog prints its 2023 NACCAS Annual Report figures: completion 80.00%, placement 66.67%, licensure 89.47%. These are institution-wide rates for the 2023 reporting year covering all programmes, not per-programme rates for this one, and they are three reporting years old. NACCAS-accredited schools file these annually, so ask the admissions office for the most recent year in writing before you enrol.

On jobs, the academy is explicit about whose job it is. It "considers job placement to be the primary responsibility of the student"; staff will assist with interviewing, résumé preparation and letters of recommendation, but the academy "cannot promise or guarantee employment for graduates".

Two things this listing will not repeat from the catalog. First, the catalog’s job-outlook appendix quotes national employment figures from 2004 and a magazine ranking of the same vintage; those are two decades old and are not reproduced here. The one local figure it gives — that in Nashville cosmetologists "can expect to earn $25,000–60,000 per year" — is the academy’s statement, not a current survey, and should be checked against present Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the Nashville area. Second, the catalog’s table of contents promises a Gainful Employment Information disclosure for each of the four programmes on pages 41–44, but those pages carry the job-outlook appendix, the teach-out policy and the signature page instead — the disclosures are not in the document. Ask the academy for them directly.

Where you learn. The academy is at 595 Hillsboro Road, Suite 325, Franklin, Tennessee. It occupies 2,454 square feet containing an administrative office, a reception area, a senior clinic, a dispensary, basics and junior classrooms, an aesthetics room and an aesthetics classroom, with styling stations, shampoo bowls, sterilisers, manicuring tables, mannequins, dryers and a student break area. The clinic is on the ground floor and there is a handicapped restroom.

How you are taught. The catalog names the methods for this course: academics are theory, workbooks, class assignments, tests, lab testing and instructional video; practical work is daily task sheets, demonstrations, salon services of clients and sanitation procedures. You work on paying clients in the academy’s own clinic.

What you buy. Equipment and books for Cosmetology are $2,000, inside the academy’s printed total. If you re-enrol after withdrawing and your books and kit are "in good operable condition", the catalog states you may use those rather than buying more.

How you are graded. Theory and practical exams are marked 94–100 Excellent, 87–93 Very Good, 80–86 Average, 75–79 Pass, and below 74 unsatisfactory. Clinical work is graded mastered or not mastered.

Attendance. Students must attend at least 70% of the hours possible on their schedule. Progress is evaluated at set points — 450 hours / 13 weeks, 900 / 26, 1,200 / 35 and 1,500 / 43 — and the maximum time frame for this programme is 2,145 hours (143% of the course).

To graduate you must complete the work assignments, hold a cumulative GPA of 75% or above, complete the required hours, and fulfil all payment obligations. Tennessee also requires domestic violence training before graduation, which the academy states is required once you graduate and become licensed.

Housing. There are no dormitories; the catalog states administration can assist in finding suitable living arrangements.