Manicuring is a Certificate program offered by Redondo Beach Beauty College in Torrance, CA. Tuition is $1,600 total.
Program Overview
The Manicuring course at Redondo Beach Beauty College is 400 clock hours of technical instruction and practical training, taught over 5 to 20 weeks at the college’s campus on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance. It is designed to prepare students to perform manicures, pedicures and artificial nail services and work as a nail technician in a salon or spa. The catalog notes that 40 hours are devoted to clinic and theory experience.
Technical instruction means instruction by demonstration, lecture, classroom participation or examination; a practical operation means the student actually performing a complete service on another person or a mannequin. Of the 400 hours, 140 are technical instruction and 260 are practical operations — a split the college publishes subject by subject, and which is reproduced in the curriculum below.
The college’s stated mission is short and specific: “to provide quality education in the field of cosmetology, prepare the graduate for state licensure, and help the licensee launch a rewarding career in the beauty industry.”
Note on the name and the location. The college is called Redondo Beach Beauty College, but its campus is at 23800 Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite 216, Torrance, CA 90505 — the address in its own catalog and in NACCAS’s records. The catalog describes it as being on a main thoroughfare in Torrance, about 3.9 miles from the Redondo pier.
What sets this Program apart
- Accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), an agency recognised by the U.S. Department of Education. Day and evening classes for all six courses start weekly, with flexible full-time, part-time and evening schedules.
- Six courses under one roof — Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetician, Advanced Manicuring, Manicuring and Teacher Training — so a licensee can come back for a second credential or an instructor licence without changing schools.
- The registration fee is inside the published price. The college’s schedule of charges totals tuition, the $100 registration fee, books and supplies, uniforms and STRF into one figure, and uniforms are shown at $0.00.
- A multilingual school. The college publishes its catalog in English, Vietnamese and Spanish, and NACCAS separately accredits a Vietnamese-language Manicuring delivery.
- Transfer hours accepted up to half the programme. Up to 50 per cent of the programme length may be brought from another accredited institution, subject to an official transcript and the college’s approval before you start.
Admission Requirements and Process
We invite all prospective students to visit Redondo Beach Beauty College and meet with the admissions representative to discuss their personal goals, education and career plans. You’ll get an overview of the programs, cost and duration of each program, and a tour of the facility. We want to ensure that each student admitted has the desire and educational background to successfully complete the program, obtain the license, and then find suitable employment in the beauty industry.
General Requirements
- Minimum Age 17If you’re at least 17 and will need Federal Student Aid, a high school diploma or GED is required.
- High School Diploma or GEDProvide a copy of your high school diploma, GED, or your California State Proficiency Test or its equivalent; an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s degree, or Ph.D. from a school…
- Social Security Card or ITINProvide a valid Social Security card or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
- Photo IdentificationProvide a driver’s license or a government-issued photo identification card.
- Meet with AdmissionsVisit the school and meet with the admissions representative.
- Foreign High School DiplomasHave evidence that verification of a foreign student’s high school diploma has been performed by an outside agency qualified to translate documents into English and confirm the…
- Ability-to-Benefit OptionApplicants without a high school diploma or its equivalent (not eligible for Federal Student Aid) must be at least 18 years old, have completed 10th grade or its equivalent, and…
- International StudentsThe school does not offer visa services. International students must provide a valid passport, along with an I-20 form (F-1 or M-1), a SEVP form from another institution, and an…
Application Process
- 1Visit and Meet with AdmissionsVisit Redondo Beach Beauty College and meet with the admissions representative to discuss your personal goals, education and career plans, and get an overview of the programs, cost and duration of each program.
- 2Tour the FacilityYou’ll be given a tour of the facility, meet with faculty and other students, and have your questions answered by a school representative.
- 3Provide Your Admission DocumentsProvide a copy of your high school diploma or GED (or equivalent), a valid Social Security card or ITIN, and a driver’s license or government-issued photo ID.
- 4Apply for Financial Aid with the FAFSAThe school participates in the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loan programs. Students who will need Federal Student Aid must have a high school diploma or GED.FAFSA Code for Torrance: 007209Fill Out the FAFSA
- 5Review the Catalog and Sign Your Enrollment AgreementReview the school catalog and the School Performance Fact Sheet, which must be provided to you prior to signing an enrollment agreement.
Program Schedule
The Manicuring course is 400 clock hours over 5 to 20 weeks. Day and evening classes for all six of the college’s courses start weekly, every Monday, and flexible full-time, part-time and evening schedules are available; your schedule is determined by the programme you choose.
To graduate and receive a Proof of Training you must attain the training hours set in your enrolment agreement, complete and pass the practical and theoretical projects, pass all written and practical exams with a cumulative average of 70 per cent, complete the required programme hours, and settle all financial obligations.
Satisfactory academic progress is assessed under a policy the college states complies with NACCAS guidelines. Hours remaining after the contract ending date and its grace period are billed at $15.00 per hour, payable in advance, and the college states that students are not allowed to clock in until applicable daily payments are made.
You may cancel without penalty through attendance at the first class session or the seventh calendar day after enrolment, whichever is later, and you have the right to a pro-rata refund if you have completed 60 per cent or less of the scheduled days in the current payment period.
Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Redondo Beach Beauty College is accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS). The college is separately approved to operate by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. It is not the same thing as accreditation. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology sets minimum standards for these programmes and issues the licences; it too approves this course.
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Recognised by the U.S. Department of Education
- Accredited since 2013; next renewal January 2032
- Approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
- Approved by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
Accreditations
Student Demographics
These are demographics for all students at the Torrance Campus (IPEDS, 2024).
Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid Information
The college’s Schedule of Charges — described as the total charges for a period of attendance and the estimated total for the entire educational programme — gives the Manicuring course as:
- Tuition — $1,600.00
- Registration fee (non-refundable) — $100.00
- Books and supplies (non-refundable) — $700.00
- Uniforms — $0.00
- Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) — $0.00
That comes to $2,400.00, exactly the total charges figure the college prints. Note that the registration fee sits inside this total rather than on top of it, and that uniforms are included at no charge. STRF is shown at $0.00: it is a real, state-imposed, non-refundable California assessment whose current rate is zero, not a fee the college has waived.
Charges outside that total: hours remaining after your contract ending date and grace period at $15.00 per hour payable in advance; a $20.00 transcript fee; and a re-entry fee if you withdraw and later return.
Financial aid. The college participates in federal student aid, including the Federal Pell Grant. File the FAFSA to establish need. One condition is worth reading carefully before you enrol: the catalog states plainly that if you do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, federal student aid will not be available to you — students admitted through the Ability-to-Benefit route pay without federal assistance.
If you take out a loan to pay for the programme, you are responsible for repaying the full amount plus interest, less any refund. The catalog sets out California’s Student Tuition Recovery Fund protections and the Title IV return calculation in full, including worked examples.
$1,600.00 tuition; $2,400.00 in total including the $100 registration fee, books and supplies, uniforms and STRF.
Curriculum
The outline below is the college’s own curriculum for the Manicuring course, with its own split between minimum technical instruction hours and minimum practical operation hours, recorded here as lecture and lab hours.
It reconciles three ways: the subjects sum to 140 technical and 260 practical hours — the two cumulative figures the college prints at the foot of its own table — and 140 + 260 = 400, the full published length of the course. Three independent agreements are what corroborate this list.
The required courses below are from Redondo Beach Beauty College's published catalog.
Required Courses
| Name | Lecture | Lab | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cosmetology Act and the Program’s Rules & Regulations | 10 | 10 | |
| Health and Safety/Hazardous Substances | 25 | 25 | |
| Disinfection and Sanitation | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Bacteriology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Nail Analysis and Conditions | 10 | 10 | |
| Water and Oil Manicures (including Hand and Arm Massage) | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Complete Pedicure (including Foot and Ankle Massage) | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Application of Artificial Nails | 25 | 160 | 185 |
| Seeking Employment / On the Job | 5 | 5 | |
| The Salon Business | 5 | 5 | |
| The Blood Procedure | 10 | 10 | |
| Totals | 140 | 260 | 400 |
Required Courses
| Name |
|---|
Career Outcomes
The Manicuring course prepares students for the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licensing examination and for entry-level work in the field. The college’s mission is explicit that licensure is the goal: to provide quality education, prepare the graduate for state licensure, and help the licensee launch a career in the beauty industry.
On completing the programme you receive a Proof of Training, the document California requires when you apply to sit the state board examination. The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology sets the minimum standards for these programmes and issues the licence once you pass.
This course is designed to prepare you to perform manicures, pedicures and artificial nail services and work as a nail technician in a salon or spa.
The college provides employment assistance services, and the catalog carries the corresponding guarantee disclaimer — assistance is offered, but no school can guarantee employment.
What to expect as a Redondo Beach Beauty College student
Expect the practical side to dominate here too. Of the 400 hours, 260 are practical operations — actually performing complete services on another person or a mannequin — against 140 hours of technical instruction. Each subject carries its own minimum in both columns.
Expect a 70 per cent bar. Graduation requires passing all written and practical exams with a cumulative average of 70 per cent, alongside completing the contracted hours and the practical and theoretical projects.
Expect the clock and the account to be linked. Hours beyond your contract ending date and grace period are billed at $15.00 an hour in advance, and the college states that students will not be allowed to clock in until applicable daily payments are made. Plan the finances alongside the schedule.
Expect a small, single-site school on a main road in Torrance, close to shops and about four miles from the beach, with classes starting every Monday and day, evening, full-time and part-time schedules available.