Private for-profit · Community college

Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way

Federal Way, Washington · Large suburb

0%
Transfer rate: $13,711
Avg net price: 6%
Grad / completion: $31,123
Median earnings

Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Federal Way, Washington (large suburb setting), enrolling 147 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 147 undergradsLarge suburbNear the coast

About Federal Way, Washington

Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The name derived from U.S. Route 99 (now State Route 99 or Pacific Highway South), a federally-designated highway which ran through the state and connected Seattle to Tacoma. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 20 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean: 2 miles
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Seattle–Tacoma (SEA) · major hub

How Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way compares

Graduation rate6%

Higher than 1% · #58 of 58 in Washington

First-year retention83%

Higher than 70%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,123

Higher than 35% · #44 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$13,711

Cheaper than 55% · #37 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$10,555

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment147

Larger than 36%

Percentiles compare Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way 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 Washington.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women14196%
Men64%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White45%
Black12%
Hispanic24%
Asian4.1%
Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 147
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 42%
First-generation students: 40%
Students over 25: 28%
Median family income: $25,151

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: $13,711

Outcomes

Graduated: 6%
First-year retention: 83%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,632
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $31,123
Median debt at graduation: $10,555
Students with federal loans: 52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

Low-income (Pell)

54%

First-generation

59%

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: Free

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

$11,732

$30–48k

$11,852

$48–75k

$12,497

$75–110k

$20,551

$110k+

$20,940

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.

23%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,846

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,846. 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 115 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): $31,123
Typical debt at graduation: $10,555
Debt vs. one year's pay: 34%
Out-earn a HS grad: 41%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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

$30,739

Men

$34,101

Men out-earn women by $3,362 (11%) 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: 77°F
Winter low: 37°F
Annual rain: 40.8″
Annual snow: 6.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tacoma #1, WA US station (7.2 mi from campus).

What Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

111 grads$23k 1 yr$31k 5 yr$11k debt

111$23,084$30,887$10,555

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 Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way side by side →

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Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
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Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

Summit Salon Academy

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Students: 138
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

Elite Cosmetology Barber & Spa Academy

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Students: 118
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: —

Stewart School

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Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Midsize city · 1 mi to Sioux Falls

Students: 133
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

Capitol Beauty School

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Omaha, Nebraska · Large city · 8 mi to Omaha

Students: 161
Tuition: —
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $31k

Colleges near Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way

Highline College

Des Moines, WA · Public · Associate · 3,838 students

5 mi

Green River College

Auburn, WA · Public · Associate · 4,965 students

6 mi

Northwest College of Art & Design

Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 139 students

8 mi

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, WA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,185 students

8 mi

Bates Technical College

Tacoma, WA · Public · Certificate · 1,813 students

8 mi

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,594 students

9 mi

UEI College-Tacoma

Tacoma, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 689 students

10 mi

Faith International University

Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 276 students

10 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.