Cosmetology at Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College

Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College graduates earn just $11,572 in their first year—roughly $6,000 below both the state and national medians for cosmetology programs. That's 10th percentile performance among North Carolina schools, in a state where the top community college cosmetology programs like Gaston College and Wake Tech produce graduates earning more than double. Even considering that 100% of students here receive Pell grants, indicating these are students from lower-income backgrounds who most need strong career outcomes, these earnings fall dramatically short of what's possible in the same field and state.

The $13,000 debt load exceeds first-year earnings, creating immediate financial pressure for graduates just entering the workforce. While this debt level is near North Carolina's median for cosmetology programs, it becomes problematic when paired with such low initial earnings. Successful cosmetology graduates at state community colleges are managing similar debt burdens while earning twice as much—a crucial difference when making monthly loan payments on entry-level wages.

For families considering cosmetology training in North Carolina, several public community colleges offer programs with significantly stronger earnings outcomes at comparable or lower cost. The gap here isn't marginal—it's the difference between launching a viable career and struggling financially from day one.