Cosmetology at Milan Institute-Visalia

With 74% of students on Pell grants and typical first-year earnings of $15,635, Milan Institute-Visalia's cosmetology program serves a largely low-income student base entering a modest-earning field. The $9,500 debt load translates to about seven months of gross income—manageable compared to many vocational programs, but meaningful when you're starting at roughly minimum wage. While these earnings fall below the national median for cosmetology programs, they actually exceed California's state median of $14,600, placing this program at the 60th percentile within the state. That state context matters: cosmetology careers in California often pay less than the national average, so outperforming most in-state programs is notable.

The challenge is comparing this to California's top-performing programs, where graduates can earn $21,000-$24,000 in their first year—50% more than Milan Institute-Visalia students. However, the small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly with more data. For families considering this program, the math works if beauty industry work is the goal and local employment opportunities exist in Visalia, but students should understand they're looking at entry-level service wages. If proximity to Visalia is essential, this could be workable; if not, programs in San Jose and Sacramento show substantially better early earnings.