Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist — headline outcomes are in the stats below. Median in-state published tuition is about $3,448.
Key Statistics
Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist: what the data shows
Common questions about nail technician/specialist and manicurist degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a nail technician/specialist and manicurist degree?
A Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist program is classified under NCES CIP 12.0410 in the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services field family (12.04).
A program that prepares individuals to shape fingernails and toenails, remove unwanted skin and blemishes, apply polish and cosmetics to nails, and function as licensed manicurists or nail technicians/specialists. Includes instruction in manicuring theory; skin anatomy; nail growth, irregularities, and diseases; sterilization and sanitation; equipment and table maintenance; cuticle, blemish, and rough skin removal; nail filing, shaping, and polishing; cream application and extremity massage; nail sculpture and design art; product storage and use; customer service; laws and regulations; and business practices
Types of nail technician/specialist and manicurist degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist (CIP 12.0409)
- Barbering/Barber (CIP 12.0402)
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services (CIP 12.0401)
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor (CIP 12.0413)
- Design (CIP 12.0404)
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist (CIP 12.0408)
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design (CIP 12.0407)
- Make-Up Artist/Specialist (CIP 12.0406)
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician (CIP 12.0414)
- Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing (CIP 12.0411)
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager (CIP 12.0412)
Is a nail technician/specialist and manicurist degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $3,448 and median net price is $14,266.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$3,448 Median In-State Public
$13,713 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors are, on average, $3,448 for in-state public colleges, and $13,713 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 3 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 4 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 5 | NUC University | PR | 28,918 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 5 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist CIP 12.0409
- Barbering/Barber CIP 12.0402
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services CIP 12.0401
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor CIP 12.0413
- Design CIP 12.0404
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist CIP 12.0408
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design CIP 12.0407
- Make-Up Artist/Specialist CIP 12.0406
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician CIP 12.0414
- Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing CIP 12.0411
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager CIP 12.0412
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$N/A Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors is $N/A.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors.
Occupations by Share
N/A 2023 Workforce
The number of Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist.
Age distribution for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
14,442 Total Degrees Awarded
512 Male (3.55%)
13,930 Female (96.45%)
Gender distribution of Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
5,962 Hispanic or Latino (41.28%)
3,950 White (27.35%)
1,952 Black or African American (13.52%)
1,568 Asian (10.86%)
485 Two or More Races (3.36%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to shape fingernails and toenails, remove unwanted skin and blemishes, apply polish and cosmetics to nails, and function as licensed manicurists or nail technicians/specialists. Includes instruction in manicuring theory; skin anatomy; nail growth, irregularities, and diseases; sterilization and sanitation; equipment and table maintenance; cuticle, blemish, and rough skin removal; nail filing, shaping, and polishing; cream application and extremity massage; nail sculpture and design art; product storage and use; customer service; laws and regulations; and business practices
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist.
CIP Code
12.0410 - Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist
What the data shows
Women earned 96.5% of 14,442 Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $3,448 in-state at public colleges and $13,713 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.