Tuition & aid
And then aid happens
We participate in federal Title IV aid for cosmetology. Many of our students qualify for tuition assistance through federal loans and grants, and what you'd personally pay comes down to your FAFSA, not to anything a website can promise you.
Summer, our Financial Aid Director, will walk you through your own aid at either campus. For an estimate built on your own numbers, run the net price calculator for Hays or Salina.
Paying for it
File the FAFSA® with our school code: Hays 015944 or Salina E02178. Processing takes about 2–3 weeks to reach us, then we contact you about eligibility.
You'll also complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at studentaid.gov, we'll point you at both.
Don't qualify for aid, or choose not to use it? We can set up a payment plan to fit your needs, talk to Summer, our Financial Aid Director, about what works for your family.
Veteran or currently unemployed? Additional benefits may apply, call and an admissions director will walk you through it.
We award one scholarship each year to a graduating senior from any Kansas high school, application, short essay, and transcript due by May 1, winner notified May 15.
Apply online, and find outside beauty-school scholarships worth stacking.
| Registration fee | $100 |
|---|---|
| Books, kit & equipment | $2,800 |
| Tuition | $16,000 |
| Total cost | $18,900 |
1,500 hours · 12 months · both campuses
| Registration fee | $100 |
|---|---|
| Books, kit & equipment | $900 |
| Tuition | $3,595 |
| Total cost | $4,595 |
350 hours · 3 months · both campuses
The Nail Technology program does not qualify for financial aid.
Common questions
Yes. Hays Academy is nationally accredited by NACCAS and licensed by the Kansas Board of Cosmetology. In the 2024 NACCAS annual report, 100% of graduates passed their licensure exams and 83.91% were placed in jobs. It has operated in Hays since 1981.
Cosmetology is $18,900 all-in; nail technology is $4,595. Those totals include registration, books, kit and equipment, there is no 'call for pricing.'
The school participates in federal Title IV aid for the cosmetology program: Pell Grants and Stafford loans via the FAFSA®. Many of our students qualify for tuition assistance through federal loans and grants. The Nail Technology program does not qualify for financial aid. Payment plans are available for those who don't qualify or prefer not to borrow.
A licensed trade that cannot be outsourced or automated away, you can't offshore a haircut. The program includes business and financial-literacy education (MONEY by Qnity) aimed at ownership, not just employment.
If you want to live in the dorms, Fort Hays State University's student-housing office has the details: residence halls, rates and who can apply. FHSU student housing info ↗
Start Your Beauty Journey Here
Our goal is to produce the most hire-able, financially responsible graduates in the country! We hope that is your goal too!
