Undergraduate certificate · Fort Pierce, Florida

Is Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at Indian River State College worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $27,509; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $27,289; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $3,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $3k (likely $3k – $4k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: −$9k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in FL; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: Not within 20 years in most scenarios; Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$138k (likely −$167k – −$108k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$251k (likely −$308k – −$195k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 43%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26