Cosmetology

Tuition rate. 1,000 clock hours at $22 an hour. The catalog’s 2025/2026 federal cost-of-attendance budget for a full-time single student lists tuition and fees of $22,150 and a books, equipment and supplies allowance of $4,185, plus living, personal and transportation estimates, for a total of $41,782 ($69,098 for other students).

Where the prices come from. These charges are from the catalog published July 1, 2025 and updated May 7, 2026, whose cover period runs to July 1, 2026; the website’s FAQ page prints the same tuition, fees and totals. The catalog’s federal cost-of-attendance budget for 2025/2026 uses a higher books, equipment and supplies allowance than the kit charge (see below), so the charge table here follows the catalog’s tuition page. Prices are subject to change for new students, and the Enrollment Agreement holds the actual amounts.

Paying for school. Federal student aid is available to those who qualify: Federal Pell Grants and Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Parent PLUS Loans. Students file the FAFSA using federal school code 042175; the school’s academic year runs July 1 to June 30, with open enrollment throughout the year. The school does not take part in state aid programs, and California Department of Rehabilitation funding is available to students a vocational rehabilitation agency selects. Before starting, students arrange payment for tuition, fees, books and kit minus expected aid, by cash, check, money order or credit or debit card; accounts more than 30 days past due may pause attendance. The Student Tuition Recovery Fund fee is $0. A net price calculator is published.

Cancellation and refunds. Cancelling in writing within seven days of signing, or before classes start, returns everything paid except the $150 registration fee. After that the school refunds tuition pro rata until 60 percent of the scheduled hours are complete, and nothing after; books, equipment and kit items are not refundable once received. Refunds are paid within 45 days.

Graduates who pass the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology written exam with at least 75 percent are licensed as cosmetologists; candidates must be 17 or older, have completed the 10th grade or its equivalent and disclose any criminal convictions. Licenses are renewed every two years. The catalog lists careers as an associate stylist, hairstylist, colorist, make-up artist, bridal and wedding stylist, platform artist, editorial and runway stylist, salon or spa owner or manager, product representative, medical spa employee, skincare specialist or school owner.

The school’s School Performance Fact Sheet for calendar years 2023 and 2024 (revised December 1, 2025) reports, for Cosmetology in 2024: an on-time completion rate of 31 percent (19 of 62 students), a completion rate within 150 percent of the program length of 89 percent, a job placement rate of 78 percent (43 of 55 graduates available for employment) and a first-attempt license exam passage rate of 85 percent (45 of 53). For 2023 the figures were 28 percent, 90 percent, 71 percent and 85 percent. Most employed graduates reported no salary information, and the fact sheet notes the work is usually freelance or self-employment.

JD Academy of Salon and Spa trains students in a 6,100 square foot facility on San Ramon Valley Boulevard in Danville. The clinic floor has 20 styling stations, five shampoo bowls, a color bar and six hood dryers; there is a nail classroom with eight manicuring tables, four classrooms with whiteboards, video equipment and computers, a student spa classroom with four facial beds, and four individual spa rooms, each with a facial bed, magnification lamp, steamer, towel warmer and microdermabrasion machine. A wax room, a student library, 100 lockers and a break area round out the building.

Every course moves through four parts: theory and lecture, instructor demonstrations (including training from product manufacturers), practical work on mannequins and classmates graded through worksheet assignments, and professional clinic training with real guests in the student salon and spa. Written and practical exams must be passed at 75 percent, students keep a 75 percent cumulative grade average, and progress reports on theory, practical work and hours are issued through the J D Academy app. Instruction is in English, and the building accommodates 90 students at a time on staggered schedules.

Professionalism is expected at all times: neat hair and clothing, closed-toe and closed-heel shoes, and no food or drink other than water in the salon and spa. Students park in the rear lot or along the side fence. The school offers no housing; the catalog notes that rooms and one-bedroom apartments in Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Concord and Pleasanton ran from $2,900 to $4,500 a month. Career services help with resumes, interview practice, job searches and a posting board for local salon and spa openings, though the school does not guarantee employment. There is no externship.

The Enrollment Agreement includes a pre-dispute arbitration agreement and class action waiver. Students may contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education or its Office of Student Assistance and Relief with questions or complaints the school has not resolved.