How Long Does It Take to Get a Cosmetology License?

Updated September 2026

An estimated total timeline for every state — combining required training hours with each board’s own published license processing time.

Two Numbers Make Up Your Timeline

Total time to license breaks into two very different pieces. The first is training time — how long it takes to complete your state’s required hours, which depends entirely on your school’s schedule. No state publishes an hours-to-calendar-time conversion, so the program-length figures below are an estimate based on a full-time pace of 30 hours/week and a part-time pace of 15 hours/week — your actual school may run faster or slower.

The second piece is license processing time — the gap between passing your exams and actually holding a valid license, which is set by the board itself and doesn’t depend on your school. This is the number almost no other comparison site tracks state by state.

Time to License by State

Training hours and license processing time are each sourced from that state’s own board. Program length and total estimate are calculated, not board-stated — see the FAQ below for how.

Filter states

State	Training Hours	Est. Program Length	License Processing	Est. Total Time
Alabama	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Alaska	1,650 hrs	~13–25 mo	Not published	—
Arizona	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	7–28 days	~12–24 mo
Arkansas	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	10–14 days	~12–24 mo
California	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	0 days	~8–15 mo
Colorado	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Connecticut	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Delaware	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
District of Columbia	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Florida	1,200 hrs	~9–18 mo	Not published	—
Georgia	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Hawaii	1,800 hrs	~14–28 mo	14–21 days	~14–28 mo
Idaho	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—
Illinois	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	2–4 days	~12–23 mo
Indiana	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	10–20 days	~12–24 mo
Iowa	1,550 hrs	~12–24 mo	30 days	~13–25 mo
Kansas	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	7–10 days	~12–23 mo
Kentucky	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Louisiana	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Maine	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Maryland	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Massachusetts	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	Not published	—
Michigan	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	28–42 days	~12–24 mo
Minnesota	1,550 hrs	~12–24 mo	5–15 days	~12–24 mo
Mississippi	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	14–21 days	~12–24 mo
Missouri	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	2–3 days	~12–23 mo
Montana	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	10 days	~12–23 mo
Nebraska	1,800 hrs	~14–28 mo	5–10 days	~14–28 mo
Nevada	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—
New Hampshire	1,200 hrs	~9–18 mo	10–14 days	~10–19 mo
New Jersey	1,200 hrs	~9–18 mo	Not published	—
New Mexico	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—
New York	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	Not published	—
North Carolina	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	5–10 days	~12–23 mo
North Dakota	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Ohio	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Oklahoma	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Oregon	1,110 hrs	~9–17 mo	0 days	~9–17 mo
Pennsylvania	1,250 hrs	~10–19 mo	Not published	—
Rhode Island	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	42–56 days	~9–17 mo
South Carolina	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
South Dakota	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	3 days	~12–23 mo
Tennessee	1,500 hrs	~12–23 mo	Not published	—
Texas	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	1–21 days	~8–16 mo
Utah	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—
Vermont	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	3–5 days	~8–16 mo
Virginia	1,000 hrs	~8–15 mo	Not published	—
Washington	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—
West Virginia	1,800 hrs	~14–28 mo	Not published	—
Wisconsin	1,550 hrs	~12–24 mo	Not published	—
Wyoming	1,600 hrs	~12–25 mo	Not published	—

Alabama

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Alaska

Training Hours: 1,650 hrs
Program Length: ~13–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

Arizona ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 7–28 days

Arkansas ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 10–14 days

California ~8–15 mo

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: 0 days

Colorado

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Connecticut

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Delaware

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

District of Columbia

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Florida

Training Hours: 1,200 hrs
Program Length: ~9–18 mo
License Processing: Not published

Georgia

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Hawaii ~14–28 mo

Training Hours: 1,800 hrs
Program Length: ~14–28 mo
License Processing: 14–21 days

Idaho

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

Illinois ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 2–4 days

Indiana ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 10–20 days

Iowa ~13–25 mo

Training Hours: 1,550 hrs
Program Length: ~12–24 mo
License Processing: 30 days

Kansas ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 7–10 days

Kentucky

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Louisiana

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Maine

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Maryland

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Massachusetts

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: Not published

Michigan ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 28–42 days

Minnesota ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,550 hrs
Program Length: ~12–24 mo
License Processing: 5–15 days

Mississippi ~12–24 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 14–21 days

Missouri ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 2–3 days

Montana ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 10 days

Nebraska ~14–28 mo

Training Hours: 1,800 hrs
Program Length: ~14–28 mo
License Processing: 5–10 days

Nevada

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

New Hampshire ~10–19 mo

Training Hours: 1,200 hrs
Program Length: ~9–18 mo
License Processing: 10–14 days

New Jersey

Training Hours: 1,200 hrs
Program Length: ~9–18 mo
License Processing: Not published

New Mexico

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

New York

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: Not published

North Carolina ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 5–10 days

North Dakota

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Ohio

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Oklahoma

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Oregon ~9–17 mo

Training Hours: 1,110 hrs
Program Length: ~9–17 mo
License Processing: 0 days

Pennsylvania

Training Hours: 1,250 hrs
Program Length: ~10–19 mo
License Processing: Not published

Rhode Island ~9–17 mo

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: 42–56 days

South Carolina

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

South Dakota ~12–23 mo

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: 3 days

Tennessee

Training Hours: 1,500 hrs
Program Length: ~12–23 mo
License Processing: Not published

Texas ~8–16 mo

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: 1–21 days

Utah

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

Vermont ~8–16 mo

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: 3–5 days

Virginia

Training Hours: 1,000 hrs
Program Length: ~8–15 mo
License Processing: Not published

Washington

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

West Virginia

Training Hours: 1,800 hrs
Program Length: ~14–28 mo
License Processing: Not published

Wisconsin

Training Hours: 1,550 hrs
Program Length: ~12–24 mo
License Processing: Not published

Wyoming

Training Hours: 1,600 hrs
Program Length: ~12–25 mo
License Processing: Not published

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get a cosmetology license? +

It depends heavily on your state and whether you attend school full-time or part-time. Training hour requirements range from 600 to over 2,000 hours depending on the state, and most states also require 1–3 weeks after you pass your exams before the physical license is mailed. Combining a typical full-time school pace with each state's own processing time, total time to license runs anywhere from about 4 months to over a year. See your specific state below.

How is the program length estimate calculated? +

No state publishes an hours-to-calendar-time conversion — schools set their own daily and weekly schedules. This page estimates program length using a full-time pace of 30 hours/week and a part-time pace of 15 hours/week, applied to each state's required training hours. Your actual timeline depends on your specific school's schedule.

What is "license processing time"? +

It's the time between passing your exams and actually holding a valid license, based on each state board's own published timeline for reviewing your application and mailing the physical license. This is separate from exam-scheduling wait time, which varies by testing-center availability and isn't included here.

Can I speed up how long it takes to get licensed? +

In a handful of states, yes — some boards offer expedited processing for an additional fee. Beyond that, the training-hours portion is the biggest lever: an apprenticeship path (where available) or a faster-paced school schedule can shorten your timeline more than anything on the processing side.

Which states have the fastest and slowest licensing timelines? +

States with lower training-hour requirements and short board processing windows (often 5–10 business days) tend to license fastest. States with 1,500+ required hours and longer processing windows take longest. Filter the table below by state to compare directly.

Is this the same timeline for esthetician, nail tech, or barber licenses? +

No, this page covers the standard cosmetologist license specifically. Training hours and processing times differ by license type — check that profession's own license requirements page for a specific state.

These Are Estimates, Not Guarantees

Training hours and license processing time are sourced from each state board. Program length and total-time figures are calculated estimates based on a stated hours-per-week assumption, not numbers any board publishes — actual timelines vary by school schedule, application completeness, and board workload. Confirm current processing times with your state board before making a decision that depends on a specific date.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Cosmetology License?

Two Numbers Make Up Your Timeline

Time to License by State

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Guides

License Requirements

Apprenticeship Programs

License Lookup