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Top 26 Cosmetology Scholarships in December 2022
Did you know that the beauty industry will be worth 438.38 billion by 2026? In this ever-growing industry, more and more cosmetologists are going to be needed to support and foster this growth. This is why many organizations out there readily offer cosmetology scholarships to those who may need the financial assistance to complete their cosmetology education and enter the workforce!
Listed below are the best cosmetology scholarships for the year!
Jump ahead to…
- Top cosmetology scholarships
- How to win cosmetology scholarships
- Resources for cosmetology students
- Frequently asked questions about cosmetology scholarships
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 26 Cosmetology Scholarships in December 2022
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
Niche $50,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Schools Marketing Group
Open to all students applying to or enrolled in an acreddited beauty school.
Rosy Rewards Scholarship Program
Offered by Rosy Salon Software
Open to students enrolled in a cosmetology, barber, or esthetics program in the U.S or Canada.
Green Circle Salons Environmental Beauty Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or currently enrolled students in cosmetology or barbering programs at accredited institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
Jerry Alexander Gorman Foundation “The Passion to Succeed” Student Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or currently enrolled students in a cosmetology, hair, esthetics or nail technology licensure-granting program in the U.S.
Dermalogica New Beginnings Esthetics Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to BIPOC students who are entering or currently enrolled in a Dermalogica partner school, leading to licensure in the U.S.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Elevate Salon Institute (ESI) Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or currently enrolled students in a cosmetology program at an Elevate Salon Institute within the U.S.
Horst M. Rechelbacher Foundation “Sustainable Beginnings” – Basic Cosmetology and Barbering Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or currently enrolled students at a cosmetology and/or barbering licensure granting institution in the U.S.
Horst M. Rechelbacher Foundation “Sustainable Beginnings” – Esthetics Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or currently enrolled students at an esthetics licensure granting institution in the U.S.
JCS Beauty “Nourish and Shine” BIPOC Cosmetology Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to new or currently enrolled Black/African American students at a cosmetology program leading to licensure in the U.S. or Canada.
L’oréal Professionnel Inspiration Through Education Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to new or currently enrolled students in a cosmetology program that leads to licensure at an accredited school in the U.S.
Sage Michaela Lucas “Timing is Everything” Scholarship
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to incoming or current esthetics students enrolled in an accredited program and who identify as people of color (POC).
Diversity in Esthetics Scholarship for PCA Partner Schools
Offered by Beauty Changes Lives
Open to students from underrepresented groups who are entering or currently enrolled in an esthetics program at a PCA SKIN® Partner School.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
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How to win cosmetology scholarships
Although there are many cosmetology scholarships out there, there are even more applicants looking to fund their cosmetology school. As a result, it’s important to make your application stand out in order to receive some extra funding. To make your essays stand out, make sure you are reading the prompts carefully and doing some background research on the organizations to ensure you are emphasizing the values and principles they want to promote.
Your essays should always sound like they are highly tailored to the specific essay question and organization. If they sound as though they could apply to a hundred different prompts, you are not being specific enough.
We have a whole host of resources to help you fine-tune your writing to make it as effective as possible. These include guides on how to write an essay about yourself, how to respond to common scholarship essay prompts, and how to start and end scholarship essays. We can also help you tailor your writing to 250 or 500 word limits.
Finally, don’t forget about local scholarships! They may not be on this list, but if you go to your local community organizations, you may find they offer scholarship opportunities. These typically receive far fewer applicants than nationwide opportunities, meaning that each applicant has a much higher chance of winning.
Resources for cosmetology students
Professional Beauty Association
The Professional Beauty Association is likely the most popular nationwide association for cosmetologists. Whether you are an aspiring cosmetologist, already have some experience under your belt, or are just testing the waters, this is a great way to check out the state of the industry and connect with professionals in the field.
American Association of Cosmetology Schools
This organization is geared toward current and prospective students in the field. They can help match you up with a school, steer you towards a job, match you with other students, and even offer you scholarships. Don’t miss out on this opportunity if you are studying cosmetology!
Frequently asked questions about cosmetology scholarships
Can I get a scholarship for cosmetology school?
Organizations/Institutions in the beauty industry are consistently looking to offer cosmetology scholarships to aspiring aestheticians and the like. Check out this $500 Aveda Scholarship to start!
Local institutions also offer a lot of great opportunities that you could use for cosmetology school. Make sure to look into any community organizations that could offer scholarships.
How can I go to cosmetology school for free?
While it is not automatically free to go to cosmetology schools, it is possible via scholarships and financial aid to attend at a very low cost. Make sure that you apply for all the need-based scholarships you qualify for. You can also look into specific institutional scholarships and scholarships from local organizations. You can also sign up for our free scholarship search tool to help match you with scholarships tailored specifically to your situation!
Does FAFSA cover cosmetology?
FAFSA does in fact award financial aid for those that wish to attend cosmetology school! Cosmetology school is considered a career school, which FAFSA does include. However, you’ll have to make sure that you’re attending an accredited institution. You should be able to find this information online or by reaching out to the school in question.
Can you get a grant for cosmetology school?
Grants are in fact available for students pursuing careers in the beauty industry. Check out our quick guide to learn more about grants. You can apply for federal grants through the FAFSA, look into local grants, and even find institution-specific scholarships.
When you decide on schools that you’re interested in, make sure to reach out to the schools’ admission and financial aid offices. You may find out that you qualify for some great grants!
How can I find cosmetology or beauty schools?
There are a couple of ways to go about finding cosmetology or beauty schools. One of the easiest is to search online; tools like the Beauty Schools Directory allow you to input your location and use that to find schools in your area.
Beyond that, it can be a good idea to visit a beauty parlor in an area you’re interested in studying. There, you can ask stylists there where they got their degree. This can have added benefits because you’ll get personal testimony about their experience at each school.
Can I use Pell Grants to pay for cosmetology school?
You can use Pell Grants to pay for cosmetology school, as long as the school you attend is accredited. You’ll also have to meet the Pell Grant income requirement, as you would have to in order to qualify for a Pell Grant anywhere. The government calculates this number using your EFC, which is returned when you submit your FAFSA.
