Esthetician

Full-time students attend at least 25 hours a week, Monday to Friday, on schedules such as 8:30 am to 1:30 pm or 12:00 to 5:00 pm (25 hours), 8:30 am to 2:30 pm (30 hours) or 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (40 hours). The course outline gives 24 weeks at 25 hours a week, 20 at 30 hours and 15 at 40 hours, and the progress table allows up to 36 weeks. Evaluations fall at 300 and 600 hours. Progress is checked at set hour marks: you need a cumulative 70% academic average and attendance of at least 67% of scheduled hours. A student who falls short goes on warning for one payment period, can appeal in writing within ten days, and may continue on probation with an academic plan.

Cost of the course. The 2026 catalog prices the Esthetician course at $11,100: $9,000 tuition at $15.00 per clock hour, a $100 registration fee and $2,000 for equipment, which is the student kit with its Milady textbook and workbook package. The STRF assessment is $0.00. The registration fee and equipment are posted to your account in the first payment period, and tuition is posted by payment period.

Federal aid. The school takes part in Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans and Parent PLUS loans under a temporary provisional program participation agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. File the FAFSA with Federal School Code 041153; staff compute a needs analysis at your interview and help you apply. To receive aid you must be a regular student enrolled at least half time, a citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid Social Security number and a high school diploma or equivalent, and keep satisfactory academic progress. First-time borrowers complete entrance counseling at studentaid.gov. On the Hemet fact sheet for 2024, 86% of Esthetician students received federal loans and the average federal debt of 2023/2024 graduates who borrowed was $5,370.60, with a cohort default rate of 0.00. The website also mentions scholarships, private loans and in-house payment plans.

Other charges. Hours needed after the on-time graduation date in your enrollment agreement cost $15.00 an hour, paid in cash and not covered by federal aid. Returned checks cost $25.00, and transcripts after the first free set cost $25.00. California's Student Tuition Recovery Fund assessment is currently $0.00. Students paying their own way can use weekly, monthly or quarterly payment schedules; monthly payments are due on the 1st and are late after the 10th. Transfer students pay the hourly rate for the hours they still need plus the $100 registration fee. The school may offer tuition discounts or scholarships in promotional periods, and no diploma or Proof of Training is issued until the account is paid in full.

Cancelling and refunds. You can cancel and get back what you paid through the first class session or the seventh day after enrollment, whichever is later; payments are returned within 30 days, and equipment you were given must come back within 30 days or the school keeps its contract price. After that, the school refunds tuition pro rata if you have completed 60% or less of the scheduled hours, less the registration fee and the equipment you received; past 60% there is no refund. Refunds are paid within 45 days of the withdrawal date, with federal aid returned first under the return of Title IV rules. Missing 14 consecutive days without an approved leave of absence ends your enrollment.

The catalog lists facial specialist, make-up technician for TV or modeling agencies, make-up specialist, chemical peel specialist, hair removal specialist, pre- and post-operative camouflage make-up specialist, and salon owner or manager among the roles for esthetician graduates. The fact sheets warn that work in this field is usually freelance or self-employment and may not be consistent: at Hemet, 11 of the 15 graduates employed in the field in 2024 were self-employed or freelance.

Licensing. Graduates receive a diploma and a Proof of Training that becomes part of the application for the California esthetician examination given by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. To sit the exam you must be at least 17, have completed the 10th grade or its equivalent, have no acts or crimes that are grounds for denial under Section 480 of the Business and Professions Code, and have completed the required hours and curriculum. The Board's examination fee is $115.00, and the written exam can be taken in English, Spanish or Vietnamese. After graduating you get one free eight-hour day of State Board training before your test date; later sessions cost $15.00 an hour with an eight-hour minimum.

Finding work. Placement assistance is free for students and graduates: salon listings with pay and requirements are posted, interviews are arranged and recorded, and graduates are followed up, but the school guarantees neither employment nor income.

Published outcomes. The school's 2024 NACCAS annual report gives Esthetics, both campuses combined, 89.83% graduation, 64.71% placement and 80.95% licensure. School-wide, the same report gives 83.33% graduation, 78.05% placement and 76.15% licensure for both campuses combined. The 2024 fact sheets, which count graduates available for employment differently, show for students who began in 2024: La Quinta 69% on-time and 81% within 150% of the course length, 31% placement and 82% first-exam passage; Hemet 74% and 93%, 38% placement and 68% passage.

Two campuses. The main campus is about 8,200 square feet at 79450 Highway 111 in La Quinta, in the Coachella Valley; the Hemet campus is 3,945 square feet at 3643 West Florida Avenue. Both have a reception area, offices, a wet lab, theory and practical classrooms, a clinic, a student lounge and a library, with workstations, shampoo bowls, sterilizers, manicuring tables, mannequins and dryers furnished. Lockers are provided, but you bring your own lock. Classes are taught in English, and the school does not offer ESL courses.

The school day. The school is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You clock in and out with a finger scanner and have seven minutes' leeway; a student who is not clocked in before theory starts waits until theory is over. Anyone attending six hours or more takes a 30-minute lunch, and every student does at least half an hour of sanitation a day. Cell phones are not allowed inside the school and may be used outside during breaks and lunch.

Dress and the clinic. Cosmetology, Esthetician and Manicuring students wear the school-issued top with black, blue or khaki pants; barbering students wear the school-issued jacket. Closed-toe, low-heel shoes are required, and tank tops, mini skirts and shorts are not allowed. Students serve clinic patrons, must take the appointments assigned to them, and pay in advance for supplies used on their own personal services.

Living nearby. The school has no housing; the catalog estimates a one-bedroom at about $800 to $1,300 a month in La Quinta and $700 to $1,200 in Hemet, and public transportation stops close to both campuses. The school closes for New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The work involves standing, walking, bending and stretching for long periods.