With today’s media deluged with beautiful images of men and women with flawless skin, stylish hair and manicured nails, it’s no wonder cosmetologists continue to grow in numbers and influence despite the lingering effects of an economic recession and inflation.
While most industries are scaling down their workforce as a result of the credit crunch across the United States, the beauty industry is one of the few where demand for workers is projected to grow by 20 percent between 2008 to 2018, a rate that is much faster than the average for all occupations, including the equally booming healthcare industry.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment numbers are expected to vary according to occupational specialties, with demand for hairstylists and cosmetologists growing by 20 percent and barbers increasing by 12 percent.
This growth will primarily come from an offshoot of increased awareness and consciousness to look good due to media influence and increasing population. These add up to more demand for basic cosmetic and hair services. Moreover, there is now a greater demand for cosmetic applications and advanced hair treatments by young people and the so-called postwar baby boomers.
This is a global phenomenon that is happening simultaneously not just across the United States, but all over the world, from Asia and Australia to Africa and Europe.
Minimum Education Requirements
In the United States, all cosmetologists and hairstylists are required to have at least graduated from high school for licensing purposes. This does not mean, however, that all high school graduates can automatically apply for a license as cosmetologist or hairstylist.
Aside from being a high school graduate or GED certified, you must have completed a program from state-accredited vocational schools and take the state licensing board consisting of written and oral tests. In some instances, the test includes actual demonstrations to assess an applicant’s practical knowledge in cosmetology.
A certificate in cosmetology training is also considered for securing a barber’s license in many parts of the United States. A few states issue the same license for both cosmetology and hairstyling, but most states require separate licenses for skin care specialists, manicurists, and pedicurists.
Searching for Grants
As noted earlier, cosmetologists need at least high school education and formal training for their chosen line of specialization in the field of cosmetology. After high school, they have to enroll in government accredited colleges that offer cosmetology as a course.
This phase of the cycle is expensive, just like any other training activities in the American system that involves going to school. It means ideally dropping everything financially productive to use your time in the classroom and paying for your privilege to be there to define your future through a career that you wish to pursue.
If you’re like most ordinary Americans, you’re likely to turn to the federal government for help to study for a career that you’ve decided to pursue for yourself and your family. For this, you will need to complete FAFSA form that you can access online.
The FAFSA is part of the process used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine your EFC or expected family contribution for your college education and assign the type of grant that you’re entitled to receive.
Cosmetology School Accreditation
Cosmetology schools need to be accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Science (NACCAS) to qualify to offer grants provided by the federal government. While some states do not require a high school diploma, they require the minimum of a GED equivalent and a school accredited by the NACCAS from students applying for state grant and eventually state-specific licensure.
Some accredited schools require an admission test before enrolment and offer the cosmetology programs that cover a period anywhere between a few months to two years, depending on the course of study or field of specialization.
Federal Pell Grant
If your family makes no more than $20,000 a year, you may be entitled to a Federal Pell Grant, which means you can receive up to $5,550 in educational funds.
This amount is remitted to the school of your choice to cover your educational expenses, such as tuition and laboratory. If your course is for two years, you can apply again through FAFSA to help you cover a substantial portion of your educational expenses for two years. The Federal Pell Grant is usually referred to as the “mother of all grants” because it does need to be repaid.
The federal government allots billions of dollars every year to provide financial assistance to some 10 million Americans graduating from high school every year. Aside from grants, the government also provides low-interest loans that students can pay after graduation at liberal payment terms. If students can’t pay their loans soon after graduate because of unemployment, they can request for extension of terms at no extra costs.
The cost of a cosmetology course ranges from $7000 to $10000 a year. This course includes hair-dressing skills such as perming, cutting, styling, hair dyeing, roller setting, and makeup application techniques.
Since the Pell Grant cannot cover all of them due to its policy ceiling, you can apply for the balance through the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), a program for students with exceptionally low EFC.
If you qualify for FSEOG, you can expect to receive a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $4000, depending on your financial need as measured in your submitted FAFSA file, timing of your application, and the policies of the student financial assistance office of your school.
Timing invariably means you need to submit your FAFSA file at the earliest possible time to ensure that you get the first crack of the federally funded grant pie before it becomes exhausted. Even if you qualify for the Pell Grant, but if you submit your application too close to the deadline, you may just be allotted $100 or none at all, because funds may have already been exhausted by the time you submitted your completed FAFSA form.
Aside from federally funded grants, you can likewise source for grants from your local government (town/city/county/state) that supports livelihood training as part of its social services and job generation programs. You can check this information and other grant opportunities from your high school counselor or from a studentfinancial assistance office of the beauty school of your choice.
Most high school and college counselors have a list of grants, including those specific to beauty schools. They may already have hard copies of application forms stashed away in drawers or website addresses of specific grant-giving bodies where application forms are available and can be completed online. You can likewise, make your own online search and apply on your own.
Types of Cosmetology Grants
Like most other educational grants, cosmetology grants are based on merit and need. If based on merit, an applicant should be able to demonstrate his or her talent in hairstyling, makeup application, and other cosmetic abilities to win these grants. If based on need, the applicant should express his or her interest in following a career in cosmetology, but is hampered by financial consideration.
While the above are considered the two major types of grants, there are three other popular types that students can spot and used as the basis for the application for grants:
- Sociology. This type is based on specific sociological requirements, such as religion, race, ethnicity, etc.
- Institutional. This type of grant is given by a specific school and successful applicants are required to study to take up the course in the same school.
- General. This grant is given by a specific salon. Its purpose is to train and spot specific workers who can work for the salon. Students can also choose to work elsewhere after graduation.
Where to Apply
Aside from the above-mentioned possibilities, students seeking to study cosmetology can also apply for financial help from the American Cosmetology Education (ACE). Getting support from ACE will depend on the following considerations:
- Eligibility of the school you want to attend
- Result of your interview
- Financial neediness
Some of the grants awarded through the ACE are as follows:
- Sport Clips Scholarship. Scholarships in the amount of $1000 each are awarded to students from different cosmetology schools that are members of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). The award is limited to one recipient from each member school.
- Dream Shears/Trade Essentials Scholarship. This is a scholarship in the amount of $500 to 10 students from AACS-member schools.
- Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts Makeup Scholarship. This is a scholarship for advanced students. It’s a six-week course designed to help prepare students for a career in high fashion. Another scholarship in amount of $1300 each is available to six students to study makeup applications for movies and television for 12 weeks.
- Pat Goins Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is for three students from AACS-member schools. The grant is for $1000 each to cover the cost of tuition. The amount is released in favor of the school in behalf of the selected students.
In the light of the shorter study period and faster ROI for students enrolled in cosmetology, there are more grants available in cosmetology than any regular baccalaureate degrees.
