About La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is a private for-profit institution offering certificate degrees based in Mason City, Iowa. It enrolls 56 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNational Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences
Academic CalendarContinuous
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
80/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes91
Value76
Affordability82
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $4,522 per year. That's well below the typical net price for private for-profit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$4,522
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
55%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
81%
Borrowing to attend
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$3,738
$30,001 – $48,000
$3,505
$48,001 – $75,000
$2,537
$75,001 – $110,000
$5,774
Over $110,000
$16,232
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,97125%percentile
$6,930Medianpercentile
$8,00075%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $6,860
—
No Pell $3,694
↓ $3,236
Dependent students $5,500
↓ $1,430
Independent students $6,596
↓ $334
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $4,750, less than completers ($6,930), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
50% of full-time students who enrolled at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology graduate within six years, and 89% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
50%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
89%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology earn a median of $27,484 ten years after first enrolling. That's below the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$27,484
Earning > $25K
42%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
23.4 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 67% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is home to 56 students, an intimate, close-knit community.
Total Enrolled
56
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
—
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 75.0%42
Hispanic 14.3%8
Black 10.7%6
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Town: RemoteMason City, Iowa
Housing
Mostly residential36 beds on campus
Adult Learners
41%of students are 25 or older
Academic Calendar
Continuousscheduling structure
What You Can Study
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology offers
a focused set of programs:
1 distinct programs across
1 major.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is 7:1, low (small classes, more faculty contact).
Student : Faculty
7:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Pros & Cons of La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
A quick at-a-glance summary of how La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Very affordable net price after aid
Open admissions
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Strong first-year retention
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Below-average completion rate
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Most students take on federal loans
For-profit institution, verify accreditation and outcomes carefully
Best for:
Based on the data, La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology.
Is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology hard to get into?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology cost?
The average net price after aid at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is $4,522 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology worth it?
Strong return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $27,484 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $4,522 per year. That's roughly 6.1x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology known for?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is best known for its programs in Cosmetology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology are $27,484, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology accredited?
Yes. La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences.
How many students attend La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology enrolls 56 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology graduates 50% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology a public or private college?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is a Private For-Profit institution.
Where is La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology located?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is located in Mason City, Iowa.
What programs does La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology offer?
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology offers 1 distinct programs. The most popular include Cosmetology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology?
The student-to-faculty ratio at La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology is 7:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Iowa
Other colleges in Iowa share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Liberal Arts
Agricultural Production Operations
Nursing
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.