Cosmetology at Cameo Beauty Academy

Cameo Beauty Academy graduates earn more than 79% of cosmetology programs nationwide, yet manage debt below three-quarters of their peers—a combination that's rare in beauty school. With first-year earnings of $20,447 and debt of just $12,700, graduates can manage payments while building their client base, and earnings climb meaningfully to $24,156 by year four.

The program ranks in the 60th percentile within Illinois, which has 71 cosmetology schools competing for students. While not at the very top of the state (schools like University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology place graduates at $24,468), Cameo significantly outperforms the Illinois median of $17,832—a difference of nearly $2,600 annually. That gap matters when you're paying down loans and covering booth rent.

For families concerned about affordability, the numbers work: graduates earn enough in year one to cover their debt burden in roughly eight months of income. Given that over half of students receive Pell grants, the academy appears to be successfully training students from modest backgrounds for stable earning potential. This isn't glamorous money, but it's honest work with room for growth, and the financial setup doesn't saddle new stylists with crushing payments while they're still building their book.