Private for-profit · Community college

State College of Beauty Culture

Wausau, Wisconsin · Small city

#5 graduation rate in Wisconsin

0%
Transfer rate: $16,844
Avg net price: 90%
Grad / completion: $28,037
Median earnings

State College of Beauty Culture is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Wausau, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 57 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 57 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

About Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The Ojibwe (also known in the United States as the Chippewa) occupied it in the period of European encounter. They had a lucrative fur trade for decades with French colonists and French Canadians. Entertainment available in the city includes Exhibitour, Concerts on the Square, Market Place Thursdays, Screen on the Green, and the Hmong New Year. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 84 miles to Green Bay, WI
To Great Lakes shore: 81 miles
Nearest airport: 11 miles to Central Wisconsin (CWA)

How State College of Beauty Culture compares

Graduation rate90%

Higher than 90% · #5 of 40 in Wisconsin

First-year retention78%

Higher than 60%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$28,037

Higher than 26% · #29 of 40 in Wisconsin

Average net price$16,844

Cheaper than 44% · #27 cheapest of 38 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$5,606

Lower than 96%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment57

Larger than 16%

Percentiles compare State College of Beauty Culture 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 race / ethnicity

White81%
Black5.3%
Hispanic5.3%
Asian8.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 57
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 38%
First-generation students: —
Students over 25: 30%
Median family income: $25,378

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 22 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Wisconsin100%

Most first-years stay in state — State College of Beauty Culture 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: $16,844

Outcomes

Graduated: 90%
First-year retention: 78%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $27,939
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $28,037
Median debt at graduation: $5,606
Students with federal loans: 37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 61%

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

$12,914

$30–48k

—

$48–75k

$21,652

$75–110k

$18,140

$110k+

$21,652

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.

52%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$246

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $246. 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 23 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): $28,037
Typical debt at graduation: $5,606
Debt vs. one year's pay: 20%
Out-earn a HS grad: 25%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 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: 80°F
Winter low: 7°F
Annual rain: 33.9″
Annual snow: 64.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wausau Dwtn AP, WI US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What State College of Beauty Culture graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

49 grads— 1 yr$25k 5 yr— debt

49—$24,688—

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 State College of Beauty Culture

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare State College of Beauty Culture side by side →

The Professional Hair Design Academy

For-profit

Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Midsize suburb · 89 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 60
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $30k

The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska

For-profit

Onalaska, Wisconsin · Small city · 106 mi to Madison

Students: 67
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $31k

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

Milwaukee Career College

For-profit

Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large suburb · 8 mi to Milwaukee

Students: 67
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $28k

The Salon Professional Academy-Appleton

For-profit

Appleton, Wisconsin · Midsize suburb · 28 mi to Green Bay

Students: 81
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

Colleges near State College of Beauty Culture

Northcentral Technical College

Wausau, WI · Public · Certificate · 3,257 students

4 mi

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Stevens Point, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 7,306 students

28 mi

Mid-State Technical College

Wisconsin Rapids, WI · Public · Certificate · 2,288 students

39 mi

Nicolet Area Technical College

Rhinelander, WI · Public · Certificate · 663 students

47 mi

College of Menominee Nation

Keshena, WI · Private nonprofit · Associate · 258 students

49 mi

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, WI · Public · Certificate · 5,825 students

73 mi

Academy of Beauty Professionals

Appleton, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 37 students

73 mi

The Salon Professional Academy-Appleton

Appleton, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students

74 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.