Private (for-profit)

Empire Beauty School - Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Ohio·Private for-profit, less-than 2-year·Great Lakes·empire.edu
6-yr Graduation
44%
Total enrollment
168
peer median 152
Avg net price
$16,926
-$1.2k vs peer
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About

Empire Beauty School is a chain of for-profit cosmetology schools in the United States. Headquartered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, it is the largest system of cosmetology schools in the country. Founded in 1946, it currently has 76 schools nationwide. It trains students as cosmetologists, estheticians, electrologists, hair stylists and colorists, makeup artists, manicurists and nail technicians.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
44%
Full-time retention
71%

Pell equity

11.7pp gap
Pell recipients
45%25 of 56
Non-Pell (all)
33%1 of 3
Subsidized loan, no Pell
33%1 of 3

Pell recipients here graduate at a 11.7-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 2 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
2
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data2 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
2

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Personal And Culinary Services
72%
$15,884 debt · $22,076 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.

Accredited since 1986Next review Jan 2029

Action history · 8

  1. Sep 2024Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  2. Sep 2024Removal of Monitoring Status
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  3. Jan 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  4. Oct 2023Removal of Monitoring Status
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  5. Oct 2023Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$16,565
$30–48k$16,943
$48–75k$19,058
$75–110k$21,715
$110k+$19,133

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$16,926
-$1,240vs peer median $18,166
Federal loans
55.6%

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 263 students received $1.3M in Pell grants, alongside $1.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
263
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.3M
$1,288,642 total
Direct Loans
$1.5M
400 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$626K
200 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$762K
186 loan awards
Parent PLUS$125K
14 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 154 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (4.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.5%
+2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
154
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.7%
2017
19.1%
2018
16.4%
2019
4.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Empire

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs1
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
168
12-mo unduplicated
307
Undergraduate
307
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
3%9
Women
97%298

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
54.8%
Unknown
23.8%
White
12.5%
Two or more
4.8%
Hispanic
3.6%
Asian
0.6%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 175 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago6.901 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    17.0:1

    Empire vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Empire selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectEmpire Beauty School-Cincinnati
    44%168$16,926
    92.9%154$23,787
    238$12,108
    135$16,635
    125$16,532
    175$14,739
    200$32,349
    152$17,329
    117$16,191
    152$17,230
    199$10,946
    110$13,880
    139$23,798
    61$5,538
    181$27,260
    200$27,398
    87$22,828
    107$13,460
    174$27,230
    137$20,861
    130$18,166
    113$20,938
    165$20,037
    172$21,059
    310$27,448
    157$20,947
    100$9,859
    70$15,916
    271$21,552
    140$28,309
    109$10,496
    Peer group median44%92.9%152$18,166

    Institutions like Empire

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Empire's comparison group.

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Empire.

    What is the graduation rate at Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati?

    Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati reports a 6-year graduation rate of 44% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati?

    Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati reports a total enrollment of 168 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati?

    The average net price at Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati is $16,926 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati located?

    Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati is located in Cincinnati, Ohio 45239.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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