Private (for-profit)

Paul Mitchell the School - Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa, California·Private for-profit, less-than 2-year·Far West·paulmitchell.edu/costamesa
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
82%
—
Total enrollment
395
peer median 314
Avg net price
$21,920
+$1.6k vs peer
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersCampusesDocumentsGrants

About

Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa is part of a nationwide network of 105 beauty schools located across the United States, with its first international location in Slovenia. The institution focuses on training students in areas such as cosmetology, barbering, skin care, and nail technology, graduating approximately 14,000 new professionals each year.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
82%
Full-time retention
86%

Pell equity

0.6pp gap
Pell recipients
83%33 of 40
Non-Pell (all)
82%28 of 34
Subsidized loan, no Pell
79%15 of 19
No Federal Aid
87%13 of 15

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

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
33%
$10,202 debt · $31,080 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 2019Next review Jan 2022
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.

Accredited since 1987Next review May 2022

Action history · 11

  1. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  2. May 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  3. Mar 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  4. Mar 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
  5. Sep 2022Grant 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$20,550
$30–48k$21,891
$48–75k$22,252
$75–110k$24,052
$110k+$25,241

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

Avg net price (private)
$21,920
+$1,591vs peer median $20,329
Federal loans
47.9%

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, 886 students received $4.1M in Pell grants, alongside $5.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
886
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.1M
$4,142,086 total
Direct Loans
$5.1M
1,540 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$1.9M
704 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.5M
756 loan awards
Parent PLUS$727K
80 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 899 borrowers who entered repayment, 31 (3.4%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.4%
+1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
899
Defaulted
31
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.9%
2017
12.2%
2018
10.7%
2019
3.4%
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 Paulmitchell

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
395
12-mo unduplicated
607
Undergraduate
607
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
12%73
Women
88%534

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
47.9%
White
35.7%
Asian
5.1%
Black
3.8%
Unknown
3.3%
Two or more
2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.8%
Non-resident
0.3%

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 · 347 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
    12.0:1

    Paulmitchell vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Paulmitchell 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
    SubjectPaul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa
    		82%Open admission395$21,920—
    Asian-American International Beauty College
    		—Open admission442$83—
    Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute-San Antonio
    		—Open admission250$20,491—
    Aveda Institute-Denver
    		—Open admission280$20,167—
    Casal Institute of Nevada
    		—79.0%271$13,414—
    Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-North Dayton
    		—Open admission210$12,258—
    Empire Beauty School-Manhattan
    		—Open admission388$18,892—
    Futura Career Institute
    		—Open admission404$25,113—
    G Skin & Beauty Institute
    		—Open admission490$21,847—
    Georgia Institute of Cosmetology
    		—Open admission200$14,397—
    Grabber School of Hair Design
    		—Open admission182$10,827—
    Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers-Casselberry
    		—Open admission273$17,751—
    Lu Ross Academy
    		—Open admission229$19,444—
    Medspa Academies
    		—Open admission241$19,466—
    Milan Institute-Bakersfield
    		—Open admission582$24,487—
    Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Ft Worth
    		—Open admission500$22,146—
    Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-San Antonio
    		—Open admission466$21,050—
    Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Stafford
    		—Open admission550$23,220—
    Parisian Beauty School
    		—Open admission441$32,141—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Atlanta
    		—Open admission249$18,075—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Fresno
    		—Open admission223$22,624—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Houston
    		—Open admission288$24,814—
    Paul Mitchell the School-Sacramento
    		—Open admission309$16,717—
    Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego
    		—Open admission225$35,975—
    Penrose Academy
    		—100.0%403$22,586—
    Praxis Institute
    		—Open admission422$8,785—
    South Hills Beauty Academy
    		—Open admission183$5,948—
    Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc
    		—Open admission323$10,052—
    Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Highland
    		—Open admission319$20,909—
    Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Indianapolis
    		—Open admission346$23,951—
    Peer group median82%89.5%314$20,329

    Institutions like Paulmitchell

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

    IPEDS

    Campuses

    The 5 campuses that make up Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa.

    IPEDS

    Reports & documents (1)

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

    Grants & funding (1)

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

    USA Spending

    Frequently asked questions about Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Paulmitchell.

    What is the acceptance rate at Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa?

    Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa 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 Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa?

    Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa reports a 6-year graduation rate of 82% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa?

    Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa reports a total enrollment of 395 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa?

    The average net price at Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa is $21,920 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa located?

    Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa is located in Costa Mesa, California 92626.

    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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