Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-Nashville

Empire Beauty School-Nashville presents a mixed picture that should give you pause. While the program keeps debt relatively low at $13,583—well below both national and Tennessee averages—the initial earning potential is concerning. First-year graduates earn just $15,679, placing this program in the bottom 40% nationally and statewide. This means your child would initially earn about $1,800 less than the typical Tennessee cosmetology graduate.

The program does show promise in its trajectory, with earnings growing 30% by year four to reach $20,441. However, even with this growth, graduates still lag behind the state median and rank significantly lower than top Tennessee programs like The Salon Professional Academy-Nashville, where graduates earn $25,878. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87 is manageable, meaning graduates typically owe less than one year's starting salary, but the low absolute earning power remains a concern.

Your child would be entering a field where even strong performers rarely exceed $26,000 annually in Tennessee. If they're passionate about cosmetology, consider whether they could access one of the higher-performing programs in the state first. The lower debt here doesn't offset the earnings gap when career growth is limited across the field.