Active Report Report ID: EDU-449968-2026

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego

San Diego, CA 92101

Avg. net price$35,975After aid
Graduation rate99.16%150% time
Median salary$26,89710yr post-entry
ROI86.9%10yr vs net cost

About Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is a private for-profit trade school in San Diego, California, enrolling about 225 students. Programs focus on certificates and workforce credentials that prepare students for skilled trades and technical careers. The published completion rate is about 99.16% at 150% of normal time. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $26,897 among students who received federal aid.

Key findings

  • Median earnings 10 years after entry are $26,897.

Cost benchmarks

Benchmark Median Tuition Median Net Price Count
Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego$35,9751
Private For-profit (national median)$16,637477
California (state median)$8,093$8,343287
Urban (City) (locale median)$15,200$20,0531,346
United States (national median)$11,900$17,156

Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.

Cost

How expensive is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego really?

Source College Scorecard + EDsmart aggregatesMethod Sticker vs net; peer mediansUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Undergraduate (Title IV net price)Confidence Federal extract

Evidence: average net price at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.

Average net price

What undergraduates typically pay

Finding Average net price at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is $35,975.

Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $35,975 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $27,632 above the California median net price. Versus urban (city) campuses, net price runs $15,922 above the locale median.

Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.

Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.

Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.

School guide

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego: research record

Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.

Research findings

Interpretation

The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.

Financial profile

Avg. net price

$35,975

Net price by family income

Income bracketAvg. annual net price
$0–$30,000$35,655
$30,001–$48,000$37,254

Student outcomes

First-year retention66.7%

Share of first-year students returning the following fall.

$23,724Median earnings (6 years after entry)

Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.

Is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego a good school?

Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.

EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.

Strong completionEarnings outcomes
Campus snapshot

More from the data

Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego.

Campus

Location

San Diego, CA

City / state

ZIP
92101
NCES locale
City

Compared with Urban (City) campuses nationally, net price is about 1.8× the median for Urban (City) campuses ($20,053 median).

Control

Institution type

Private For-profit

Control

Region
Far West

Size

Enrollment

225

Total enrollment

Undergraduate
365
Full-time share
90%

Student aid

Debt & aid

$13,000

Median federal loan debt

Pell grant share
27.98%
Cost detail

Total Cost, Aid & Default

Total Cost of Attendance

$143,900Estimated 4-year total cost
$35,975Average annual net price (after aid)

Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.

Tuition vs average net price after aid for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego.

Financial Aid by Income Level

27.98% Undergraduates receiving aid through grants
32.57% Undergraduates receiving aid through loans

Financial aid distribution by income level.

Student Loan Default Rate

0.00% 3-year cohort default rate (College Scorecard)

The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego was 0.00%.

Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.

Multi-year tracker

Tuition tracker

Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego in that year.

Reporting years in the table below: 20132023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).

Year In-state tuition & fees Out-of-state tuition & fees Average net price
2013$18,212
2014$17,716
2015$17,495
2016$19,578
2017$22,379
2018$16,350
2019$26,632
2020$20,714
2021$22,950
2022$28,925
2023$25,671

Sticker tuition and net price over time

Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.

College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).

Net price by family income

Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).

Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.

Access

How difficult is it to get in?

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.

Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.

Test Scores

Test score data is not available for this institution.

Score distribution is not available for this institution.

Academic Requirements

GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.

Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.

Student body

Enrollment & Student Demographics

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego reported total enrollment of about 225 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 16% male and 84% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes Two or More Races (53.8%), Hispanic or Latino (22.2%), and White (16.0%). About 27.98% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 43.1% of students are first-generation college students.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

89.8% Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego in 2024 is 225 students.

Undergraduate enrollment is about 365 students.

Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.

Retention Rate over Time

66.7%
2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.

Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

53.8%Two or More Races
9Reported race/ethnicity groups

Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.

  • Two or More Races53.8%
  • Hispanic or Latino22.2%
  • White or Caucasian16.0%
  • Black or African American3.6%
  • Asian3.1%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.4%
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0.4%
  • Race/ethnicity unknown0.4%
  • Non-Resident Alien0.0%

College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).

Outcomes

Do students complete their programs?

Time to Complete

12.61% 100% Completion Time

99.16% 150% Completion Time

In 2024, 12.61% of students graduating from Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego completed their program within 100% "normal time".

Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.

Completions by Sex (Top Programs)

  • Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General: 12% male / 88% female
  • Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist: 3% male / 97% female
  • Barbering/Barber: 81% male / 19% female

IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).

Completions by Race & Ethnicity

110Hispanic or Latino
7Reported groups

Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.

  • Hispanic or Latino110
  • White or Caucasian78
  • Black or African American16
  • Two or More Races11
  • Asian6
  • American Indian or Alaska Native2
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander2

Summed across program completion records in our extract.

Outcomes & academic profile

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego graduates earn a median of $26,897 ten years after entry

Source College ScorecardMethod Earnings + debt + net price modelsUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Institution-wideConfidence Federal extract

Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego.

Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $26,897. Median federal loan debt: $13,000. Average net price used in cost models: $35,975.

Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.

Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.

Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.

Key takeaway Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego graduates report median earnings of $26,897 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.

Return on Investment

86.91%Modeled return on investment
$13,000Median student debt
$26,897Median annual earnings (10 years)
48.33%Debt-to-earnings ratio
4.8 yearsEstimated payback period

Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego.

Top Programs by Completions

Largest 4 programs by IPEDS completions (5 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).

IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego.

Employment Outcomes

$26,897Median earnings (10 years after entry)
$23,724Median earnings (6 years after entry)
$25,598Median earnings (8 years after entry)
67.48%Working & not enrolled (8-year cohort share)

Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego graduates.

Institutional resources

Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.

Instructional Resources

  • Instructional expenditure per FTE: $6,691
    • California median near the median ($6,474)
    • Far West median near the median ($7,030)
    • U.S. median 0.92× the median ($7,288)

Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.

Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego at a glance

Institution snapshot

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego

San Diego, CA 92101 · Private For-profit · Far West

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is a private for-profit institution in San Diego, CA.

Avg. net price$35,975
Enrollment225
Completion (150%)99.16%
Pell Grant share27.98%
First-generation43.1%
Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, GeneralAesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care SpecialistBarbering/Barber
Largest enrollment groups
Two or More Races53.8%
Hispanic or Latino22.2%
White or Caucasian16.0%
Nearby

Schools near Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego

Other campuses in San Diego, CA when available, plus nearby institutions in California.

Peers

Similar schools

Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within California, then by similar ownership and admissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego located?

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is located in San Diego, CA.

How much does Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego cost?

Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $35,975 in the latest College Scorecard data.

What explains Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego's return on investment in EDsmart Data?

EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($35,975), completion (99.2% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($26,897). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.

What is the student body demographics at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego?

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego reports undergraduate enrollment of about 365 students, Two or More Races (53.8%), Hispanic or Latino (22.2%) in federal College Scorecard data.

How many first-generation students attend Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego?

About 43.1% of students at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego are first-generation college students.

What do graduates of Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego earn?

Median earnings are $23,724 six years after entry and $26,897 ten years after entry.

What is the graduation rate at Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego?

The 150%-time completion rate is 99.2% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.

How much debt do Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego students have?

Median federal loan debt among completers is $13,000.

Is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego public or private?

Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, CA.

Is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego an HBCU?

No. Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.

Is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego a tribal college?

No. Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.

Is Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?

Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego does not meet that proxy (reported share 22.2%).

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

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 Scope

This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.

Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.