Cosmetology

Full time, 35 hours per week. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break. Hours do not begin to accumulate before 8:15 a.m.

About 43 weeks. At 35 hours a week the 1,500-hour program takes about 43 weeks; satisfactory progress is evaluated at 450, 900 and 1,200 actual hours.

Closures. Classes are not held on New Year's Eve and Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following, December 24, 2026 through January 4, 2027, and the first Monday of every month for Teacher Inservice Day.

Contract hours. Hours remaining after the contract end date and grace period are charged as additional tuition at $14 per hour for Cosmetology.

The kit. Books, supplies and equipment are non-refundable after the grace period and once issued, are subject to cost change, and include 9.15 percent sales tax.

Paying. Tuition and fees are payable by check, cash, credit card, money order, Title IV or loan, with a 3 percent card processing fee and a 0.75 percent ACH fee. The total cost must be paid in full a month before graduation, which for full-time students is 140 clock hours before completion. Through Lumion, a dedicated advisor can build a personalized payment plan that extends past graduation.

Financial aid. Stacey James Institute is approved by the Department of Education to offer federal financial aid, and Cosmetology is Title IV eligible. Options include in-house financing, scholarships such as those through Beauty Changes Lives, federal financial aid through the FAFSA, and grants from organizations and foundations.

Refunds. Students not accepted receive all money paid, and students who cancel within three business days receive a full refund. Those who withdraw after three business days but before classes begin are refunded all tuition and fees except a cancellation charge of $150 or 25 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. After classes begin, the refund is 90 percent within the first 10 percent of the program, 75 percent to 25 percent, 50 percent to 50 percent and 25 percent to 75 percent, less an administrative fee.

Careers. A licensed cosmetologist may work as a professional stylist, skin or platform artist, product representative, salon owner or manager, state board member or examiner, image consultant, or retail specialist.

Graduation and licensure. To graduate, students complete the required hours within the maximum time frame, maintain satisfactory progress, pass a final practical examination and a final written examination with at least 80 percent, meet their financial obligations and complete an exit interview; they then receive a diploma and the state-required certification of hours. The Office of Barber and Cosmetologist Licensing, or its testing agency, conducts all examinations in English.

Placement. Current law prohibits any school from guaranteeing job placement as an inducement to enroll students.

From salon to school. Stacey James Institute was born from a fusion of Stacey's creative talent and a commitment to providing students with the highest quality education, after the team ran the Stacey James Salons and Spa. Its mission is to give post-secondary students an excellent opportunity to learn career professional skills and to understand the common problems and solutions of a salon environment.

The Parker campus. The campus spans 9,000 square feet with an open layout, polished wood floors and professional styling stations, off 470 near the intersection of Lincoln Blvd. and Jordan Rd., with free parking right outside.

Facilities. Classrooms are furnished with the latest tools and equipment. There is a clinic floor with 56 stations, seven dedicated esthetics treatment areas with three more for overflow, seven shampoo chairs plus four in the cosmetology classroom, two manicuring stations, two pedicure chairs, eleven spa beds, a dispensary, locker space and a library of materials.

Goals. The institute aims to familiarize students with current methods and theories, qualify and prepare them for the State Board examination, graduate proficient and competent students, and provide assistance, advice and mentoring.