FAFSA update flags over 100 California colleges with earnings below high school graduates

CALIFORNIA – A new federal update to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is flagging 132 colleges in California whose graduates earn less than typical high school graduates, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The new “lower earnings” indicator, rolled out this month, appears in FAFSA submission summaries for first-year undergraduate applicants.

It is intended to give students clearer information about post-college earnings outcomes before they commit to a school.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 2% of undergraduate students nationwide attend an institution where graduates earn less than a high school completer on average.

These same institutions receive more than $2 billion in federal student aid annually, the department said.

“More than half of all Americans now say a college degree is not worth the price, and total outstanding student loan debt is approaching $1.7 trillion,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

She added that the new feature makes public earnings data more accessible, and empowers prospective students to make data-driven decisions before they are saddled with debt.”

‘Metric fails to capture recent effort to develop new programs’

Most of the colleges on the list — 122 in total — are for-profit institutions, with beauty and trade schools making up the majority, while five public colleges were also flagged.

The public institutions include Barstow Community College, Hacienda La Puente Adult Education, Baldwin Park Adult & Community Education, Riverside County Office of Education’s School of Career Education, and Pomona Unified School District Adult and Career Education.

Barstow Community College superintendent-president Eva Bagg said the metric fails to capture the college’s most recent efforts to develop new career education programs that prepare students for higher-earning fields — and that it doesn’t reflect local economic realities.

“This is unfortunate. It’s worrisome,” Bagg said of the earnings indicator.

Yasmin Niru, owner of a Paul Mitchell school in Modesto—where federal data shows typical graduates earn $23,477 versus $36,710 statewide for high school graduates—called the threshold “not really fair,” noting it ignores tips and that many students are young mothers.

“They’re working part time, not full time,” Niru said. “For most, it’s backup income, not a career.”

List of colleges

The following colleges have been labeled as having lower earnings:

Median earnings after graduation

Academy for Salon Professionals, Northridge: $25,310
Academy of Esthetics and Cosmetology, San Fernando: $23,599
Adrian’s Beauty College of Turlock: $19,106
Advance Beauty College, Garden Grove: $13,033
American Academy of Dramatic Arts–Los Angeles: $19,952
American Beauty College, West Covina: $15,562
American College of Healthcare and Technology (Santa Ana): $32,413
American College of Healthcare and Technology (Huntington Park): $32,413
American College of Healthcare and Technology (Riverside): $32,413
American Medical Sciences Center, Glendale: $29,242
Angeles College, Los Angeles: $13,353
Arizona College of Nursing–Ontario: $35,310
Asian-American International Beauty College, Westminster: $15,377
Associated Technical College–Los Angeles: $23,960
Associated Technical College–San Diego: $22,734
ATA College, El Cajon: $36,636
Baldwin Park Adult & Community Education: $34,479
Barstow Community College: $35,468
Bellus Academy–Chula Vista: $24,785
Bellus Academy–El Cajon: $18,988
Bellus Academy–Poway: $25,727
California Beauty College, Modesto: $22,824
California Hair Design Academy, La Mesa: $18,124
California Healing Arts College, Carson: $32,100
Career Academy of Beauty, Garden Grove: $23,495
Central California School of Continuing Education, San Luis Obispo: $34,421
Cinta Aveda Institute, San Francisco: $30,402
Citrus Heights Beauty College: $22,710
Coachella Valley Beauty College–Hemet: $19,163
Coachella Valley Beauty College, La Quinta: $19,163
Coastline Beauty College, Fountain Valley: $12,354
Coba Academy, Anaheim: $24,104
CRU Institute of Cosmetology and Barbering, Garden Grove: $17,528
Design’s School of Cosmetology, Paso Robles: $21,180
Diamond Beauty College, South El Monte: $15,022
Diversified Vocational College, Los Angeles: $23,996
Elite Cosmetology School, Palm Desert: $21,785
Estes Institute of Cosmetology Arts and Science, Visalia: $17,319
Federico Beauty Institute, Sacramento: $25,076
Fredrick and Charles Beauty College, Eureka: $20,969
Galaxy Medical College, North Hollywood: $26,220
Hacienda La Puente Adult Education: $34,161
Healing Hands School of Holistic Health, Escondido: $22,247
Healthcare Career College, Paramount: $36,057
High Desert Medical College, Lancaster: $33,768
Hilltop Beauty School, Daly City: $24,873
Hinton Barber and Beauty College, Vallejo: $17,843
Hypnosis Motivation Institute, Tarzana: $23,155
International College of Beauty Arts & Sciences, Los Angeles: $14,125
International College of Cosmetology, Oakland: $23,338
International School of Beauty Inc, Palm Desert: $18,491
J D Academy of Salon and Spa, Danville: $22,734
John Wesley International Barber and Beauty College, Long Beach: $19,419
Lancaster Beauty School: $14,959
Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology, Hanford: $18,822
Lawrence & Company College of Cosmetology, Selma: $13,854
Los Angeles College of Aesthetics: $20,145
Los Angeles Film School, Hollywood: $31,439
Lu Ross Academy, Ventura: $25,723
Lyle’s College of Beauty, Fresno: $21,131
Lyle’s College of Beauty, Bakersfield: $21,131
Lytles Redwood Empire Beauty College, Santa Rosa: $22,019
Mayfield College, Cathedral City: $33,595
Milan Institute of Cosmetology–Vacaville: $20,955
Milan Institute–Bakersfield: $26,152
Milan Institute–Clovis: $26,152
Milan Institute–Merced: $26,152
Milan Institute–Palm Desert: $31,810
Milan Institute–Visalia: $34,318
Modern Beauty Academy, Oxnard: $14,583
Moler Barber College, Oakland: $29,441
My Le’s Beauty College, Sacramento: $17,318
National Career College, Panorama City: $34,284
National Holistic Institute, Emeryville: $26,725
National Polytechnic College, Lakewood: $36,355
New York Film Academy, Burbank: $26,908
North Adrian’s College of Beauty Inc, Modesto: $18,962
North-West College–Glendale: $35,580
North-West College–West Covina: $35,580
Pacific College of Health and Science, San Diego: $31,886
Palladium Technical Academy Inc, Temple City: $34,721
Palomar Institute of Cosmetology, San Marcos: $22,897
Paul Mitchell the School–Costa Mesa: $26,525
Paul Mitchell the School–East Bay, Pleasant Hill: $24,847
Paul Mitchell the School–Fresno: $20,552
Paul Mitchell the School–Modesto: $23,477
Paul Mitchell the School–North Tahoe, Truckee: $26,324
Paul Mitchell the School–Pasadena: $27,467
Paul Mitchell the School–Sacramento: $25,874
Paul Mitchell the School–San Diego: $26,525
Paul Mitchell the School–Sherman Oaks: $23,697
Paul Mitchell the School–Temecula: $25,529
PCI College, Cerritos: $36,027
Pomona Unified School District Adult and Career Education: $28,848
Professional Institute of Beauty, El Monte: $27,035
Redondo Beach Beauty College, Torrance: $26,533
Riverside County Office of Education–School of Career Education: $32,967
Salon Success Academy–Corona: $20,564
Salon Success Academy–Fontana: $20,564
Salon Success Academy–Redlands: $20,564Salon Success Academy–Riverside: $15,979
Salon Success Academy–Upland: $22,391
Salon Success Academy–West Covina: $22,391
San Francisco Conservatory of Music: $25,823
San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc: $29,810
Santa Ana Beauty Academy: $22,673
Santa Ana Beauty College: $17,522
Shasta School of Cosmetology, Redding: $22,174
Sierra College of Beauty, Merced: $22,312
Southern California Health Institute, North Hollywood: $25,171Stellar Career College, Modesto: $32,407
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary, El Dorado Hills: $34,979
Sutter County Career Training Center, Yuba City: $36,325
Thanh Le College School of Cosmetology, Garden Grove: $18,562
The Salon Professional Academy–San Jose: $29,203
UEI College–Bakersfield: $29,338
UEI College–Chula Vista: $33,043
UEI College–Fresno: $29,338
UEI College–Garden Grove: $33,043
UEI College–Gardena: $32,506UEI College–Huntington Park: $33,043
UEI College–Oceanside: $33,043
UEI College–Ontario: $33,043
UEI College–Reseda: $33,043
UEI College–Riverside: $32,506
UEI College–Sacramento: $32,506
UEI College–Stockton: $33,043
UEI College–West Covina: $33,043
Universal College of Beauty Inc–Los Angeles 2: $19,055
Universal Healthcare Careers College, Los Angeles: $27,025
ZMS The Academy, Los Angeles: $15,081

Median earnings four years after graduation for Title IV recipients, inflation-adjusted to June 2025 dollars, compared to state or national high school benchmarks.