Colleges

Private for-profit · Community college

Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City

Rapid City, South Dakota · Small city

#2 graduation rate in South Dakota
0%
Transfer rate
$19,694
Avg net price
88%
Grad / completion
$29,547
Median earnings

Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Rapid City, South Dakota (small city setting), enrolling 66 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 66 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

About Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City is a city in and the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition, led by George Armstrong Custer, brought a mass influx of European-American miners and settlers into Rapid City. Rapid City has invested in public sculptures, notably "The City of Presidents" series of life-sized bronze statues depicting each former President of the United States, located on street corners in the downtown area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Certificate
Nearest big city
Rapid City, SD
To Great Lakes shore
569 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Rapid City (RAP)

How Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City compares

Graduation rate88%

Higher than 87% · #2 of 10 in South Dakota

First-year retention80%

Higher than 64%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$29,547

Higher than 30% · #7 of 10 in South Dakota

Average net price$19,694

Cheaper than 33% · #10 cheapest of 10 in South Dakota

Median debt at graduation$7,917

Lower than 75%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 78%

Undergraduate enrollment66

Larger than 18%

Percentiles compare Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City 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 South Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White76%
  • Black1.5%
  • Asian1.5%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
66
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
57%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
43%
Median family income
$23,194

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
$19,694

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
88%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$22,585
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$29,547
Median debt at graduation
$7,917
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$25

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
$17,122
$30–48k
$18,376
$48–75k
$22,626
$75–110k
$24,848
$110k+
$25,771

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.

35%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$547
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 35% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $547. 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 31 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)
$29,547
Typical debt at graduation
$7,917
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
30%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
20″
Annual snow
53.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rapid City Wfo, SD US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
52 grads$19k 1 yr$22k 5 yr$11k debt
Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services
11 grads$28k 1 yr$30k 5 yr$8k 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.

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Colleges near Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,071 students

1 mi

The Salon Professional Academy

Rapid City, SD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 students

1 mi

Western Dakota Technical College

Rapid City, SD · Public · Associate · 753 students

2 mi

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 1,928 students

43 mi

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, SD · Public · Associate · 1,097 students

70 mi

Chadron State College

Chadron, NE · Public · Bachelor's · 1,540 students

88 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.