Colleges

Private for-profit · Community college

Empire Beauty School-West Palm

West Palm Beach, Florida · Large suburb

0%
Transfer rate
$16,980
Avg net price
60%
Grad / completion
$25,073
Median earnings

Empire Beauty School-West Palm is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in West Palm Beach, Florida (large suburb setting), enrolling 96 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 96 undergradsLarge suburbMild wintersNear the coast

About West Palm Beach, Florida

West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The beginning of the historic period in south Florida is marked by Juan Ponce de León's first contact with native people in 1513. The permanent collection features 19th and 20th century European and American art, Chinese, contemporary art and photography. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Certificate
To the ocean
5 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to President Donald J. Trump (PBI) · major hub

How Empire Beauty School-West Palm compares

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 49% · #134 of 211 in Florida

First-year retention65%

Higher than 33%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$25,073

Higher than 18% · #135 of 171 in Florida

Average net price$16,980

Cheaper than 43% · #95 cheapest of 207 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$13,000

Lower than 22%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment96

Larger than 27%

Percentiles compare Empire Beauty School-West Palm 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 Florida.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

96undergrads
  • Women9195%
  • Men55%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White14%
  • Black53%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
96
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
75%
First-generation students
57%
Students over 25
31%
Median family income
$14,099

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 28 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Florida100%

Most first-years stay in state — Empire Beauty School-West Palm draws overwhelmingly from Florida.

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
$16,980

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
60%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$19,285
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$25,073
Median debt at graduation
$13,000
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
24%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
60%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
53%

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
$125

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.

< $30k
$16,369
$30–48k
$16,105
$48–75k
$17,031
$75–110k
$21,942
$110k+
$22,326

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.

14%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$480
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 14% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $480. 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 35 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)
$25,073
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
52%
Out-earn a HS grad
27%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 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
$24,813
Men
$30,480

Men out-earn women by $5,667 (23%) 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
90°F
Winter low
58°F
Annual rain
61.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
50°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.38.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, West Palm Beach Intl AP, FL US station (1.5 mi from campus).

What Empire Beauty School-West Palm graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
27 grads$16k 1 yr$22k 5 yr$14k debt

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-West Palm

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

Empire Beauty School-Tampa

For-profit

Tampa, Florida · Large suburb · 7 mi to Tampa

Students
111
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$24k

American Academy of Cosmetology

For-profit

Orange Park, Florida · Large suburb · 17 mi to Jacksonville

Students
122
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$24k

The Salon Professional Academy-Ft Myers

For-profit

Fort Myers, Florida · Small city · 3 mi to Fort Myers

Students
112
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$26k

Empire Beauty School-Lakeland

For-profit

Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city · 31 mi to Tampa

Students
145
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$24k

North Florida Cosmetology Institute

For-profit

Tallahassee, Florida · Midsize city · 3 mi to Tallahassee

Students
91
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$24k

Summit Salon Academy-Gainesville

For-profit

Gainesville, Florida · Midsize suburb · 6 mi to Gainesville

Students
83
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$28k

Colleges near Empire Beauty School-West Palm

The Beauty Institute

West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 18 students

< 1 mi

Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations

West Palm Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Associate · 558 students

1 mi

Southeastern College-Boynton Beach

Boynton Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 563 students

1 mi

HCI College

West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 166 students

1 mi

Palm Beach Atlantic University

West Palm Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,603 students

3 mi

Latin Beauty Academy

greenacres, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 283 students

4 mi

Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers-West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 239 students

5 mi

South University-West Palm Beach

Royal Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 251 students

6 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.