10-yr median earnings
$23,451
Federal aid recipients only
Private For-Profit · San Marcos, California
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is a private for-profit institution in San Marcos, California. as a private for-profit, published Scorecard outcomes are Title-IV-recipient medians — program mix and repayment risk deserve a closer look than a single headline number.
- 89.1%
- 150%-time completion
- $27,778
- Avg net price / yr
- $23,451
- 10-yr median earnings
The verdict
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology posts modest former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 8th pct.
- former-student earnings, US
- 89.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +13%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Palomar Institute of Cosmetology profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class, and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
48/100
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings F
$23,451
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$27,778
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
89.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt A+
$6,333
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment N/A
N/A
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$27,778
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
89.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 89.1%
Less-than-four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Palomar Institute of Cosmetology vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Palomar Institute of Cosmetology ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$23,451 8th percentile higher than 8% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Palomar Institute of Cosmetology | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $23,451 | #4707 of 5103 | 8th |
| Average net price | $27,778 | #4248 of 5020 | 15th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 89.1% | #256 of 4858 | 95th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 193 | #3681 of 5462 | 33rd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
193
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
89.1%
150%-time completion
$23,451
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Palomar Institute of Cosmetology ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Palomar Institute of Cosmetology | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $23,451 | #460 of 493 | 7th |
| Average net price | $27,778 | #352 of 495 | 29th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 89.1% | #36 of 483 | 93rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 193 | #378 of 553 | 32nd |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 460 | Palomar Institute of CosmetologyThis school | $23,451 | $27,778 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$25,526 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$26,696 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$25,947 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$32,292 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| Average Net Price | $27,778 |
33.1%
Pell Grant Rate
43.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$6,333
Median Debt
$67/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what Palomar Institute of Cosmetology costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +16.2% over 10 years, from $15,642 to $18,176 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $15,6422023 · $18,176
Over the same years, enrollment went +27.9% (136 → 174 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
52.6%
First Generation
Outcomes
$20,718
Median Earnings (6yr)
39.8%
Earning Over $25K
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 89.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $20,718 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $23,451 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 39.8% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $6,333 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $67/mo |
Programs & Earnings
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Certificate | 164 | $30,892 | $6,333 |
Nearby Schools
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Scorecard-derived matches among reporting colleges — not school marketing or paid placement lists.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private For-Profit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private For-Profit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
St Louis College of Health Careers-St Louis
Saint Louis, MO
$27,777 net price · $1 apart
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois
Springfield, IL
$27,793 net price · $15 apart
Orion Institute
Perrysburg, OH
$27,750 net price · $28 apart
South University-Montgomery
Montgomery, AL
$27,807 net price · $29 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-North Dayton
Dayton, OH
+$375/year · $0/year apart
Centura College-Newport News
Newport News, VA
+$374/year · $2/year apart
Empire Beauty School-Lancaster
Lancaster, PA
+$378/year · $2/year apart
Institute for Business and Technology
San Jose, CA
+$373/year · $3/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Palomar Institute of Cosmetology? ▼
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is a private for-profit institution in San Marcos, California. Undergraduate enrollment is 193 students.
How much do Palomar Institute of Cosmetology former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $23,451 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $20,718.
How much does Palomar Institute of Cosmetology cost? ▼
The average net price at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is $27,778.. Median student debt at graduation is $6,333.
What is the graduation rate at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology? ▼
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology has a 89.1% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Is Palomar Institute of Cosmetology worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is $6,333, while former students earn a median of $23,451 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 27% of those annual earnings. Estimated monthly loan payment is $67.
Sources & methodology
Private for-profit profiles foreground Scorecard debt, repayment, and program-level earnings where reported. Marketing claims from the school are not inputs to this page.
Every figure is the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrieval. For-profit program mixes can shift year to year — treat institution medians as a starting map, then check Field-of-Study rows below. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Palomar Institute of Cosmetology
- Compare Palomar Institute of Cosmetology against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
For-profit Scorecard figures are Title-IV cohort history — verify current program costs, accreditation, and repayment outcomes with the school and official aid tools.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private for-profit profiles compile Scorecard debt/earnings and IPEDS operating fields from federal files — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.