Private (for-profit)

Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley

Whitehall, Pennsylvania·Private for-profit, less-than 2-year·Mid East·empire.edu
6-yr Graduation
67%
Total enrollment
99
peer median 94
Avg net price
$18,671
+$703 vs peer
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About

Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley is a beauty school located in the Lehigh Valley area, offering various programs in cosmetology and related fields such as esthetics and nail technology. The school is part of a larger network of beauty schools and focuses on practical training for students in the beauty industry.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
67%
Full-time retention
63%

Pell equity

32.0pp gap
Pell recipients
68%
Non-Pell
100%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 32.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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
47%
$12,671 debt · $27,011 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 1967Next review May 2026

Action history · 8

  1. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  2. Nov 2024Removal of Monitoring Status
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  3. Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  4. Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  5. May 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    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$17,938
$30–48k$16,657
$48–75k$20,278
$75–110k$22,713
$110k+$22,713

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

Avg net price (private)
$18,671
+$703vs peer median $17,968
Federal loans
66.7%

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,332 students received $6.5M in Pell grants, alongside $7.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,332
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.5M
$6,457,868 total
Direct Loans
$7.4M
2,446 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.9M
1,145 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.5M
1,131 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.0M
170 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 893 borrowers who entered repayment, 40 (4.4%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.4%
+2.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
893
Defaulted
40
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.0%
2017
13.1%
2018
11.9%
2019
4.4%
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 programs2
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
99
12-mo unduplicated
201
Undergraduate
201
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
3%7
Women
97%194

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
35.3%
Unknown
24.8%
White
16.5%
Black
13.5%
Two or more
9.0%
Asian
0.8%

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 · 95 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
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
    20.0:1

    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-Lehigh Valley
    67%99$18,671
    Austin Kade Academy
    82$15,198
    Austin's Beauty College Inc
    101$16,069
    Avery James College
    78$17,278
    Award Beauty School
    94$20,744
    Central Texas Beauty College-Round Rock
    122$9,606
    Coba Academy
    109$16,761
    Design's School of Cosmetology
    73$17,968
    Empire Beauty School-Chenoweth
    100$14,876
    Empire Beauty School-Cherry Hill
    139$20,034
    Empire Beauty School-Dixie
    119$16,271
    Empire Beauty School-Malden
    95$18,689
    Fosbre Academy of Hair Design
    92.7%$20,039
    Hilltop Beauty School
    77
    Hinton Barber and Beauty College
    50$15,550
    Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines
    74$10,298
    Lancaster Beauty School
    150$21,235
    Loraines Academy & Spa
    30$11,727
    New Beginning College of Cosmetology
    81$13,055
    Nuvani Institute
    12$19,754
    Paul Mitchell the School-Albuquerque
    119$14,118
    Paul Mitchell the School-Provo
    147$18,284
    Pro Beauty Academy
    67$26,278
    Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Brunswick
    73$19,617
    Salon Professional Academy of San Antonio
    94$15,641
    Studio Beauty School
    81$19,626
    Tenaj Salon Institute
    55$25,834
    The Salon Professional Academy-Georgetown
    79$16,327
    The Salon Professional Academy-Kenosha
    130$26,061
    Tonsorial Arts Barber College
    170$19,240
    Trenz Beauty Academy
    109
    Peer group median67%92.7%94$17,968

    Reports & documents (1)

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

    Grants & funding (3)

    Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

    Frequently asked questions about Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Empire.

    What is the graduation rate at Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley?

    Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley reports a 6-year graduation rate of 67% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley?

    Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley reports a total enrollment of 99 students per the latest IPEDS.

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

    The average net price at Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley is $18,671 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley located?

    Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley is located in Whitehall, Pennsylvania 18052.

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