Private for-profit · Community college

The Hair Academy

Bismarck, North Dakota · Small city

#2 graduation rate in North Dakota

5%
Transfer rate: $14,950
Avg net price: 95%
Grad / completion: $31,370
Median earnings

The Hair Academy is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Bismarck, North Dakota (small city setting), enrolling 65 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 65 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

About Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is mirahacii arumaaguash ("Place of the tall willows"); the Arikara name is ituhtaáwe [itUhtaáwe]. The Belle Mehus Auditorium, named after a local piano teacher, is a 1914 historic building in downtown Bismarck and a center for arts in the area. Performances of Northern Plains Dance and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra are held there. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 1 mile to Bismarck, ND
To Great Lakes shore: 409 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Bismarck (BIS)

How The Hair Academy compares

Graduation rate95%

Higher than 94% · #2 of 16 in North Dakota

First-year retention60%

Higher than 23%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,370

Higher than 37% · #9 of 14 in North Dakota

Average net price$14,950

Cheaper than 50% · #13 cheapest of 15 in North Dakota

Median debt at graduation$11,630

Lower than 32%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment65

Larger than 18%

Percentiles compare The Hair Academy 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 North Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White78%
Hispanic1.5%
Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 65
Student–faculty ratio: 16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 44%
First-generation students: —
Students over 25: 16%
Median family income: $35,266

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: $14,950

Outcomes

Graduated: 95%
First-year retention: 60%
Transferred to another college: 5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $28,950
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $31,370
Median debt at graduation: $11,630
Students with federal loans: 50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 60%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $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

$12,829

$30–48k

$14,296

$48–75k

$18,579

$75–110k

$17,579

$110k+

$20,224

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?

The Hair Academy funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $31,370
Typical debt at graduation: $11,630
Debt vs. one year's pay: 37%
Out-earn a HS grad: —

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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: 3°F
Annual rain: 19.2″
Annual snow: 50.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bismarck Wfo, ND US station (2.4 mi from campus).

What The Hair Academy graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

32 grads$29k 1 yr$33k 5 yr$12k debt

32$29,327$32,560$11,809

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 The Hair Academy

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The Hair Academy side by side →

The Salon Professional Academy-Fargo

For-profit

Fargo, North Dakota · Midsize city · 3 mi to Fargo

Students: 95
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $31k

Josef's School of Hair Skin & Body-Grand Forks

For-profit

Grand Forks, North Dakota · Small city · 72 mi to Fargo

Students: 61
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $28k

Josef's School of Hair Skin & Body-Fargo

For-profit

Fargo, North Dakota · Midsize city · 2 mi to Fargo

Students: 72
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $28k

Orlo School of Hair Design and Cosmetology

For-profit

Albany, New York · Midsize city · 2 mi to Albany

Students: 56
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

Westchester School of Beauty Culture

For-profit

Mount Vernon, New York · Large suburb · 16 mi to New York

Students: 59
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $32k

The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska

For-profit

Onalaska, Wisconsin · Small city · 106 mi to Madison

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

Colleges near The Hair Academy

United Tribes Technical College

Bismarck, ND · Private nonprofit · Associate · 569 students

3 mi

Bismarck State College

Bismarck, ND · Public · Associate · 2,839 students

3 mi

University of Mary

Bismarck, ND · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,416 students

6 mi

Sitting Bull College

Fort Yates, ND · Public · Associate · 257 students

50 mi

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND · Public · Bachelor's · 1,090 students

97 mi

University of Jamestown

Jamestown, ND · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,041 students

98 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.