Private for-profit · Community college

Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city

0%
Transfer rate: $16,101
Avg net price: 47%
Grad / completion: $23,589
Median earnings

Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (large city setting), enrolling 111 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 111 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowy

About Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The etymological origin of the name Milwaukee is disputed. Wisconsin academic Virgil J. Vogel has said, "the name [...] Milwaukee is not difficult to explain, yet there are a number of conflicting claims made concerning it." Milwaukee is a popular location for sailing, boating, and kayaking on Lake Michigan, ethnic dining, and cultural festivals. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 7 miles to Milwaukee, WI
To Great Lakes shore: 5 miles
Nearest airport: 3 miles to General Mitchell (MKE) · major hub

How Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee compares

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 34% · #26 of 40 in Wisconsin

First-year retention48%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$23,589

Higher than 13% · #38 of 40 in Wisconsin

Average net price$16,101

Cheaper than 47% · #25 cheapest of 38 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$10,231

Lower than 45%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment111

Larger than 31%

Percentiles compare Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women10695%
Men55%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White7.2%
Black68%
Hispanic14%
Asian1.8%
Other or multiracial9.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 111
Student–faculty ratio: 21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 66%
First-generation students: 49%
Students over 25: 48%
Median family income: $14,725

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 42 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Wisconsin100%

Most first-years stay in state — Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee draws overwhelmingly from Wisconsin.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $16,101

Outcomes

Graduated: 47%
First-year retention: 48%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $21,743
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $23,589
Median debt at graduation: $10,231
Students with federal loans: 53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 19%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

47%

Low-income (Pell)

48%

First-generation

51%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $110

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.

< $30k

$15,835

$30–48k

$16,330

$48–75k

$17,864

$75–110k

$14,709

$110k+

—

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.

25%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$148

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 25% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $148. 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 114 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): $23,589
Typical debt at graduation: $10,231
Debt vs. one year's pay: 43%
Out-earn a HS grad: 27%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$23,772

Men

$22,403

Women out-earn men by $1,369 (6%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 82°F
Winter low: 17°F
Annual rain: 34.6″
Annual snow: 48.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Milwaukee Mitchell AP, WI US station (2.5 mi from campus).

What Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

98 grads$19k 1 yr$23k 5 yr$14k debt

98$18,639$22,816$13,849

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 Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee side by side →

Empire Beauty School-Green Bay

For-profit

Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin · Midsize suburb · 4 mi to Green Bay

Students: 100
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $24k

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Janesville

For-profit

Janesville, Wisconsin · Small city · 28 mi to Rockford

Students: 102
Tuition: —
Transfer: —
Earnings: $23k

Paul Mitchell the School-Milwaukee

For-profit

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin · Large suburb · 8 mi to Milwaukee

Students: 140
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $25k

First Class Cosmetology School

For-profit

Beloit, Wisconsin · Small city · 16 mi to Rockford

Students: 92
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

Academy of Beauty Professionals

For-profit

Madison, Wisconsin · Large city · 5 mi to Madison

Students: 53
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $25k

State College of Beauty Culture

For-profit

Wausau, Wisconsin · Small city · 84 mi to Green Bay

Students: 57
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $28k

Colleges near Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee

Alverno College

Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 631 students

3 mi

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology

Franklin, WI · Private nonprofit · Graduate

5 mi

VICI Beauty School

Greenfield, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 109 students

5 mi

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 837 students

6 mi

The Institute of Beauty and Wellness

Milwaukee, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 186 students

7 mi

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,660 students

7 mi

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee, WI · Public · Certificate · 12,024 students

7 mi

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,654 students

7 mi

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.