English 
Spanish 
Barbering Education in New York City
So you’ve decided to start a career in hairdressing and barbering from scratch or improve your existing skills, acquire new ones, and get certified or licensed as a barber. This is an important step in your career and life, so it’s worth approaching it carefully, considering all the details.
If you live in New York City or have come to the Big Apple to gain experience, you are in the right place! New York City offers the widest, if not the best, opportunities in the United States for education in various fields, including high fashion and beauty. Makeup, cosmetics, haircuts, styling, beauty treatments and much more – all this can be learned here.
If you have chosen a career as a barber, amongst other things, you can find a large number of schools for hairdressing, barbering, cosmetology, and more here in New York City. Most of these schools are private, but there are also public organizations that provide limited free training.
The question though is how do you choose from a wide variety of schools the right one with the right education, practical experience, reasonable cost, and other advantages that will give the best start to your career. Let’s try to figure it out!
Table of Contents:
What to Consider When Choosing a Barber School
Every school strives to attract the attention of applicants in every possible way. In addition to extensive marketing, schools annually improve their educational programs by developing a set of advantages and benefits for potential students.
From the convenience of campus locations, to the flexibility in class schedules, financial aid, support for U.S. military veterans, and more. These and many other benefits vary greatly from school to school and are, of course, individual criteria for each student. So, what exactly should you pay attention to when choosing a barber and beauty school?
School Age
Let’s start with the most obvious criteria, the age of your potential barber school. This indicator can show you how much you can trust a particular school, and how stable it is.
The longer a school has been in existence, the more experience it can share with its students, the more time the school has had to develop, the more likely it is to be recognized in the industry. For example, the most respectable U.S. universities from the Ivy League are over 100 years old.
Teaching Staff Experience
Following the age of the school comes the experience and track record of the barbering and hairdressing teachers and instructors.
Experience is a component of the value of any professional activity. The more experience the school teachers have, the better they will be able to teach you the skills and all possible details of barbering and hairdressing art.
As a rule, this kind of information can be found on the particular school website or requested from them by email or phone. Don’t hesitate to ask questions!
Modern Equipped Classrooms
Quality training in barbering and hairdressing consists of two parts: theory and practice. Therefore, when determining the best barber school, it is necessary to make sure that in addition to experienced teachers, the school has prepared and equipped premises for both theory and practice.
A proper atmosphere is necessary for the effective assimilation of theoretical material. Such an atmosphere is created in barber school lecture halls (or classrooms), special rooms for educational material presentation, interactive barber training, and student group discussions. Such classrooms or halls are a must for a reputable school.
At the same time, practical training of future barbers plays an even more important role. This requires specially equipped salon-type premises with all the necessary modern tools of a hairdresser, barber, and stylist. When choosing a barber school, it is critically important to make sure that your future school has such premises. Therefore, it would be wise to visit several schools before enrolling to make sure.
Real Hands-On Training
When choosing the best barber and hairdressing school in New York City, in addition to well-equipped premises, you need to make sure that the training is truly practical.
Practical training in a good barber school means that after theory and testing their basic barber skills on wigs and hairdressing mannequins, students will move on to working with real clients, mastering working with different hair types and acquiring important communication skills.
This means that the school provides guest hairdressing and salon services. Services provided by students under the supervision of their instructors and teachers. The more such practice you get, the sooner you will succeed in the profession of a hairdresser, barber, or stylist.
Check Online Reviews
Yes, just in case, check the available online reviews and other publicly available information. After all, the best barber school is the best in everything!
It is worth noting that this criterion for choosing the best barber school is relative. The assessment of the school itself and its educational processes, teachers, etc. is of great value to you.
Therefore, reviews left by students or graduates of the school will be of greater value to you, rather than a random client of guest services who was dissatisfied with the work of a novice barber or stylist.
Barber Program Tuition Cost
We understand perfectly well that this factor will be the determining factor for many in choosing a school.
As of November 2024, the cost of training in a barber, hairdresser, and stylist school in New York City ranges from $3,700 to $10,000. The prices at other schools could be even higher, so we took the average cost from the top 10 most famous barber schools in the Big Apple.
When choosing a barber school for your future training, you need to break down what exactly is included in the cost and whether there are any hidden fees or taxes. Many barber schools, similar to universities, charge a non-refundable registration fee for processing your application. Carefully check whether everything listed in this article is offered and included in the cost of this training.
Cost of Necessary Tools and Books
The average cost of necessary hairdressing tools and books required for training in New York City barber schools ranges from $500 to $1,700.
That is why you should carefully study the web pages of the educational programs you are interested in. Whether it is an express barber program (in case you have some experience) or a regular standard New York State master barber program, try to find out if tools and books are included in the program or not.
If this information is not specified on the website of the barber school you are considering, you should call and clarify these details before enrolling and starting your studies. You should not be caught off guard by unexpected expenses.
Available Financial Aid Options
Despite the high cost of barber, hairdresser, and stylist training programs, most New York City barber schools offer various types of financial assistance, grants, convenient installment plans, and other convenient payment methods.
When choosing a barber school for yourself, analyze all possible financial aid options offered, compare them, and if necessary, talk to the school’s admissions committee. Schools are interested in comfortable payment for their programs and will try to help you.
Convenient School Location
An easy and clear criterion for choosing a barber school is its convenient location.
Great barber schools can be found in four of five New York City boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Bronx. As of November 2024, there are no barber schools in Staten Island.
Most existing barber schools in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Bronx are conveniently located and easily accessible by public transportation or car. Many schools are located close to subway stations, which can shorten your commute significantly.
Taking school location into account, it is worth making sure that the school is not only conveniently located but also provides a truly high-quality education, is equipped, and offers everything else we are discussed. Perhaps it is worth giving preference to the quality of the school itself and spending an extra 10-15 minutes on the road, which by New York City standards is nothing.
Available Class Schedules
Another important factor in choosing a barber school is the available class schedules and their convenience. The most popular schedules for New York City barber schools are morning classes, daytime classes, and weekend classes.
It is worth noting that many students of barber, hairdresser, and stylist schools are people who have a main job. They enroll in barber schools either to start a new career or to improve their existing skills. As a rule, such students strive to combine their work schedule with their school schedule.
And here you will need to make sure that the barber school you have chosen offers the exact schedule of classes that will be convenient for you. Let us note right away that there are no schools offering evening classes and not all schools offer weekend classes.
Other Available Educational Programs
When choosing a barbering school in New York City, you may also want to consider the additional training programs offered by the school.
Many schools may offer other related beauty education programs in addition to barber programs. For instance, popular cosmetology programs, aesthetician programs, hair extension programs, nail technician programs, and many more.
Having other related educational programs can be convenient if you suddenly decide to change your educational profile or, say, gain additional skills on top of your hairdressing and stylist skills.
Communication and Business Skills Teaching
In addition to the practical skills of hair cutting, grooming, styling, and hair care, an important part of the success of any barber and hairdresser is the presence of communication and business skills.
Any barber or stylist must be able to professionally communicate with clients to clarify all of the details and wishes. Also, a good specialist should be able to professionally offer their services.
With deep experience and knowledge of the beauty and salon industry, barbering schools are a great place to gain experience and expertise in professional communication and basic business skills. When choosing a barber school, pay attention or inquire whether communication and business skills training are included in their educational plan.
Certificate or Diploma Issuance
Most New York City beauty and barber schools issue a certificate or diploma to their students upon successful completion of the training program. This certificate confirms completion of training and allows graduates to apply for a New York State Master Barber License.
Just make sure that your school issues such diplomas or certificates. If you got such a certificate, congratulations you are a certified barber now!
Career Guidance and Support
Last but not least on our list, is whether the school has alumni support programs and services, or student career support centers.
A good barber school should have organized programs for career guidance, and support for graduates in choosing and organizing a career. Some schools can also help you with employment after completing your training.
Educational Programs
4 Months
3 Months
8 Months
2 Days
Top New York City Barber Schools Comparison
For your convenience, we have collected and systematized all the main advantages, criteria and differences of the best barber schools in New York City. We will try to keep this information up to date by updating it regularly.
School Name | Tribeca Barber & Beauty School | American Barber Institute | Barber & Beauty Institute of New York | International Barber & Beauty Institute | Arrojo Cosmetology School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
School Location | New York City | New York City | New York City | New York City | New York City |
School Age | 20 years, in business since 2004 | 28 years, in business since 1996 | 18 years, in business since 2006 | 10 years, in business since 2014 | Unknown |
School Schedule | Monday–Sunday, weekend classes available | Monday–Friday, no weekend classes | Monday–Friday, no weekend classes | Monday–Friday, no weekend classes | Monday–Friday, no weekend classes |
Available Barber Programs | Master Barber Program Express Barber Program Infection Control Course for Barbers | Master Barber Program Barber Refresher Program Contagious Diseases Program | Master Barber Program Barbering for Cosmetologists II Skills Refresher for Barbers Exam Barber Infection Control Course(Online) | Barber Training Course Barber Training Course for Advanced Students Infection Control Course Refresher Course | Barbering Program Advanced Program |
Other Available Programs | Cosmetology Program Hair Extensions Program | None | Concepts of Natural Hairstyling | Cosmetology Course | Cosmetology Course Esthetics Program |
Enrollment Requirements | High School Diploma (GED or SLE Exam), Photo ID, Social Security or Tax ID | High School Diploma (GED or SLE Exam), Photo ID, Social Security or Tax ID | High School Diploma (GED or SLE Exam), Photo ID, Social Security or Tax ID | High School Diploma (GED or SLE Exam), Photo ID, Social Security or Tax ID | High School Diploma (GED or SLE Exam), Photo ID, Social Security or Tax ID |
Available Classes | Morning, Afternoon, Weekends | Morning, Afternoon | Morning, Afternoon | Morning, Afternoon | Morning, Afternoon |
Hands-On Training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tuition Cost | $4,500 – Morning Program $4,500 – Afternoon Program $4,500 – Weekend Program | $5,600 – Morning Program $4,600 – Afternoon Program | $7,500 – Morning Program $7,500 – Afternoon Program | $6,400 – Morning Program $6,400 – Afternoon Program | $6,700 Full Day Program |
Tools and Books Cost | $650 | $1000 | $500 | Included in Tuition | $1700 |
Financial Aid | No | No | Yes | Unknown | Yes |
ACCESS-VR Benefits | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Unknown |
Tuition Payment Plan | Available | Available | Available | Available | Unknown |
Book a Tour Today!
Tribeca Barber & Beauty School is one of the top New York City schools to learn barbering, cosmetology, and beauty. If you are looking to start a new professional career and expand your knowledge and skill set, you are in the right place. Schedule a free one-on-one school presentation tour with one of our teachers.