Private (for-profit)

Palomar Institute of Cosmetology

San Marcos, California·Private for-profit, less-than 2-year·Far West·pic.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
89%
—
Total enrollment
193
peer median 181
Avg net price
$27,778
+$9.5k vs peer
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersDocuments

About

Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is a private cosmetology school located in San Marcos, California. Founded over 40 years ago, the institute offers programs in Cosmetology, Esthetics, and Manicuring, focusing on preparing students for state licensure exams with a combination of hands-on experience and classroom instruction.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
89%
Full-time retention
97%

Pell equity

5.4pp gap
Pell recipients
86%25 of 29
Non-Pell (all)
91%32 of 35
Subsidized loan, no Pell
100%6 of 6
No Federal Aid
90%26 of 29

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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.

FVT/GE

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
20%
$6,212 debt · $30,892 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.

Accredited since 1985Next review May 2029

Action history · 7

  1. Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  2. Apr 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  3. Mar 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  4. Feb 2022Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  5. Dec 2021Grant 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.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$25,526
$30–48k$26,696
$48–75k$25,947
$75–110k$32,292
$110k+$32,292

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

Avg net price (private)
$27,778
+$9,506vs peer median $18,272
Federal loans
43.1%

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 128 students received $554K in Pell grants, alongside $942K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
128
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$554K
$553,902 total
Direct Loans
$942K
293 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$355K
126 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$433K
142 loan awards
Parent PLUS$154K
25 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 109 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
109
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
9.8%
2017
7.4%
2018
4.8%
2019
0.0%
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 PIC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs3
UndergraduateOffered

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
193
12-mo unduplicated
354
Undergraduate
354
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
1%5
Women
99%349

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
53.4%
White
30.0%
Two or more
5.7%
Unknown
5.7%
Asian
2.6%
Black
2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.5%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 173 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.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    24.0:1

    PIC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions PIC selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    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
    SubjectPalomar Institute of Cosmetology
    		89%Open admission193$27,778—
    Ann Webb Skin Institute
    		—Open admission121$20,056—
    Bene's Career Academy
    		—Open admission321$24,275—
    Capri College-Dubuque
    		—Open admission165$15,660—
    Elevate Salon Institute
    		—Open admission197$19,409—
    Empire Beauty School-E Memphis
    		—Open admission156$15,771—
    Empire Beauty School-Springfield
    		—Open admission188$17,290—
    GA Beauty & Barber School
    		—Open admission171$12,096—
    Genesis Career College-Lebanon
    		—Open admission96$15,107—
    Glitz School of Cosmetology
    		—Open admission124$14,378—
    International School of Beauty Inc
    		—Open admission132$18,347—
    Jenks Beauty College
    		—Open admission95$13,821—
    John Amico School of Hair Design
    		—Open admission162$18,035—
    Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Rock Hill
    		—Open admission181$14,029—
    Milan Institute-Amarillo
    		—Open admission271$28,468—
    Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Hurst
    		—Open admission273$21,792—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Boise
    		—Open admission183$26,248—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Greenville
    		—Open admission196$18,272—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Spokane
    		—Open admission296$22,646—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Toledo
    		—Open admission165$23,625—
    Phagans School of Hair Design
    		—Open admission212$16,313—
    Pivot Point Academy
    		—Open admission103$9,920—
    Spa Tech Institute-Westbrook
    		—Open admission263$29,953—
    Taylor Andrews Academy-St George
    		—Open admission127$16,230—
    The Salon Professional Academy-San Jose
    		—Open admission196$18,418—
    The Temple Annapolis-A Paul Mitchell Partner School
    		—Open admission202$31,528—
    Tint School of Makeup and Cosmetology-Dallas
    		—Open admission220$25,080—
    Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Rockford
    		—Open admission170$20,655—
    Twin City Beauty College
    		—Open admission274$18,125—
    Winston Salem Barber School
    		—Open admission29$14,610—
    ZMS The Academy
    		—Open admission144$7,812—
    Peer group median89%—181$18,272

    Institutions like PIC

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

    IPEDS

    Reports & documents (1)

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

    Frequently asked questions about Palomar Institute of Cosmetology

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about PIC.

    What is the acceptance rate at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology?

    Palomar Institute of Cosmetology does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution has an open admission policy: it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements, so it does not report a selective admit rate.

    What is the graduation rate at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology?

    Palomar Institute of Cosmetology reports a 6-year graduation rate of 89% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Palomar Institute of Cosmetology?

    Palomar Institute of Cosmetology reports a total enrollment of 193 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology?

    The average net price at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is $27,778 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Palomar Institute of Cosmetology located?

    Palomar Institute of Cosmetology is located in San Marcos, California 92078.

    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.

    IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    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.
    U.S. Department of Education
    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.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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