Colleges

Private for-profit · Community college

The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona

Altoona, Pennsylvania · Small suburb

0%
Transfer rate
$15,796
Avg net price
91%
Grad / completion
$20,809
Median earnings

The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Altoona, Pennsylvania (small suburb setting), enrolling 83 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 83 undergradsSmall suburbCold wintersSnowy

About Altoona, Pennsylvania

Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. One explanation of the city's name is that the word Altoona is a derivative of the Latin word altus, meaning high. Historically, the sole economic force driving the growth of Altoona into a city was the Pennsylvania Railroad. While the various local railroad shops still employ over a thousand people, they are no longer the driving economic engine of the area as they once were. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Certificate
To the ocean
126 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Altoona Blair County (AOO)

How The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona compares

Graduation rate91%

Higher than 91% · #15 of 151 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention92%

Higher than 85%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$20,809

Higher than 6% · #137 of 137 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$15,796

Cheaper than 48% · #51 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$6,333

Lower than 90%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment83

Larger than 23%

Percentiles compare The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona 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 Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White90%
  • Black7.2%
  • Hispanic2.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
83
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
—
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$25,848

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
$15,796

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
91%
First-year retention
92%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,764
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$20,809
Median debt at graduation
$6,333
Students with federal loans
60%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free

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
$13,817
$30–48k
$13,227
$48–75k
$14,657
$75–110k
$21,441
$110k+
$21,191

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.

8%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,500
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,500. 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 26 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)
$20,809
Typical debt at graduation
$6,333
Debt vs. one year's pay
30%
Out-earn a HS grad
24%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 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
83°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
41.8″
Annual snow
38″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Altoona 7 SW, PA US station (3.5 mi from campus).

What The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
51 grads$19k 1 yr$28k 5 yr$10k 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 The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona

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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.