Private for-profit · Community college
California Hair Design Academy
La Mesa, California · Large suburb
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $23,607
- Avg net price
- 87%
- Grad / completion
- $19,347
- Median earnings
California Hair Design Academy is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in La Mesa, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 98 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, located nine miles (14 kilometers) east of downtown San Diego in Southern California. The Kumeyaay were a Yuman-speaking people who practiced horticulture and hunting and gathering. The Kumeyaay organized themselves into a federation of self-governed bands, or clans. From 1911 to 1912, film pioneer Allan Dwan kickstarted his career in La Mesa, directing over 150 silent films produced by Flying A Studios. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 9 miles to San Diego, CA
- To the ocean
- 8 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub
How California Hair Design Academy compares
Higher than 86% · #60 of 382 in California
Higher than 77%
Higher than 5% · #312 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 21% · #238 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 90%
Lower than 62%
Larger than 28%
Percentiles compare California Hair Design Academy with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women6970%
- Men2930%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White44%
- Black5.1%
- Hispanic28%
- Asian6.1%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 98
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 48%
- First-generation students
- 54%
- Students over 25
- 53%
- Median family income
- $21,829
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $23,607
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 87%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $15,702
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $19,347
- Median debt at graduation
- $6,333
- Students with federal loans
- 51%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 43%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $75
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $866. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 46 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $19,347
- Typical debt at graduation
- $6,333
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 33%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 27%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 89°F
- Winter low
- 42°F
- Annual rain
- 11.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, EL Cajon, CA US station (6.1 mi from campus).
What California Hair Design Academy graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to California Hair Design Academy
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare California Hair Design Academy side by side →
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- Transfer
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Elite Cosmetology School
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International School of Beauty Inc
Palm Desert, California · Small city · 58 mi to Riverside
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Colleges near California Hair Design Academy
North-West College-San Diego
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 636 students
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 35,377 students
California Barber and Beauty College
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students
Grossmont College
El Cajon, CA · Public · Associate · 12,163 students
ATA College
El Cajon, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 students
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, CA · Public · Associate · 7,177 students
Bellus Academy-El Cajon
El Cajon, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 157 students
Riggins Urban Barber College
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 85 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.