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Cosmetology schools in South Dakota
South Dakota has 5 accredited campuses awarding cosmetology credentials. If you finish and work as a cosmetologist in South Dakota, expect to start around $32,090–$42,870 and reach a median of $49,800 with experience; the top quarter earn $56,200 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota). Graduates of these South Dakota programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $21,146 in their first year, against $17,178 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists earn in South Dakota
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 690 employed in South Dakota. National median: $35,790.
Campuses in South Dakota, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: Rapid CitySioux FallsWatertown
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart School | Sioux Falls | for-profit | 72 | $21,923 | $6,211 | 88% | $18,387 |
| The Salon Professional Academy | Rapid City | for-profit | 18 | $21,146 | $9,835 | 79% | $23,508 |
| Lake Area Technical College | Watertown | Public | 28 | $18,226 | $12,000 | 73% | not reported |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City | Rapid City | for-profit | 25 | not reported | $9,681 | 88% | $26,271 |
| National American University-Rapid City | Rapid City | for-profit | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.