Career Training Path
Students training in a esthetics program

Career Training PathEsthetician schools › Tennessee

Esthetician schools in Tennessee

Tennessee has 20 accredited campuses awarding esthetics credentials. If you finish and work as a skincare specialist in Tennessee, expect to start around $22,200–$28,540 and reach a median of $36,590 with experience; the top quarter earn $44,500 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee). Graduates of these Tennessee programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $17,839 in their first year, against $20,883 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What skincare specialists earn in Tennessee

$22,200starting (10th percentile)
$28,540early career (25th)
$36,590median, all experience
$44,500experienced (75th)
$77,830top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 1,710 employed in Tennessee. National median: $45,330.

Campuses in Tennessee, ranked by what their graduates earned

20campuses in Tennessee
926credentials awarded / yr
$17,839median earnings, yr 1 (Tennessee)
$20,883median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: BartlettBrentwoodChattanoogaClarksvilleClevelandCookevilleCordovaFayettevilleFranklinHendersonvilleHohenwaldJohnson CityKnoxvilleManchesterMemphisMurfreesboroNashvilleNew Tazewell

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology Franklin for-profit 9 $24,282 not reported 86% $24,045
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville Nashville Public 29 $19,887 not reported 70% $21,109
Gould's Academy Memphis for-profit 74 $19,220 $7,677 80% $15,756
Gould's Academy Bartlett for-profit 51 $19,220 $7,677 84% $23,699
Brillare Beauty Institute Cleveland non-profit 125 $18,578 $7,917 84% $21,460
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville Hendersonville for-profit 95 $18,432 $9,739 74% $27,546
Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro Murfreesboro for-profit 82 $18,432 $9,739 75% $23,452
Empire Beauty School-E Memphis Memphis for-profit 65 $18,217 $11,743 67% $21,404
Genesis Career College-Cookeville Cookeville for-profit 32 $17,462 $6,333 54% $15,788
Empire Beauty School-Nashville Brentwood for-profit 41 $17,189 $12,090 72% $19,703
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald Hohenwald Public 21 $16,680 not reported 65% $18,463
Queen City College Clarksville for-profit 25 $14,669 $5,500 not reported not reported
TC Beauty Johnson City for-profit 47 $14,430 $7,917 88% $22,104
Austin's Beauty College Inc Clarksville for-profit 11 $14,428 $7,917 68% $16,629
The Hair Academy LLC Fayetteville for-profit 17 $13,033 $7,330 85% $28,170
Love Beauty School Inc Manchester for-profit 5 $10,982 $9,500 74% $12,301
Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc Knoxville for-profit 122 not reported not reported 82% $16,085
Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers Chattanooga for-profit 67 not reported $2,223 not reported not reported
Sandra Academy of Salon Services New Tazewell for-profit 8 not reported $12,089 33% $19,276
Cure Advanced Aesthetics Institute Cordova 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.

The Path
Nine months to a paycheck that AI can't take.
A free weekly newsletter for people choosing a hands-on career: trades, technical and healthcare.
Subscribe →

Other trades in Tennessee

All trade and career schools in Tennessee →

The Path
Lineworkers earn $95k. Dental hygienists $98k. Barbers $38k.
The federal numbers on every trade, technical and healthcare career, in a free weekly newsletter.
Subscribe →