Cosmetology Scholarships are an excellent way to get the education you need to get started in a rewarding career in the cosmetology field. A scholarship is money awarded to an individual to help them pay for the furthering of their education. It will usually not need to ever be paid back and may not cover all costs, but any amount you receive is that much that does not come out of your pocket. In these tough times, we can all use a little help to get the schooling we need to move forward in our lives, and as a beautician you get to have fun and make a living at the same time. Now is the time to think about going to school.
The assumption that because you are going to a trade school means you don’t qualify for financial aid is simply not true. Many people with this belief miss out on all of the wonderful opportunities for advancement that are out there. Don’t let this happen to you! There are Scholarships available from schools, companies, and through memorial funds. There are also grants that are given out by private non-profit organizations that support women and their families. As with any scholarship, it helps to have gotten good grades though out high school, but that is not always the case.
Ace Grants are one avenue in which one could go about when in search of financial aid for beauty school. The American Association of Cosmetology Schools, the Cosmetology Advancement Foundation, and the Beauty and Barber Supply Institute are the three beauty industry associations that sponsor these types of grants. As far as non-profit organizations go, there is the Sunshine Lady Foundation which funds the Women’s Independence Scholarship Program. The Sunshine Lady Foundation was founded by Doris Buffet, yes that of the well renowned Buffet Family. She is the sister of Warren Buffet. She started up the foundation in 1996 and since then has awarded over 100 million dollars in grants. It’s focus has been on aiding families in crisis and the working poor. The women’s Independence Scholarship program in particular is helping women who have been abused by someone close to them.
Some companies that offer Cosmetology Scholarships are Sally Beauty Supply, OPI, and Luster. Sally Beauty Supply gives out $10,000 a year in grants. As of this year they gave out $1,000 to seven high school graduates and $500 to six high school graduates. In addition to this, Sally also gives $10,000 to the National Beauty Culturists’ League which is an African American cosmetologists’ organization. OPI gives two students that have chosen to go to a Nail Technology or Cosmetology School which qualifies for this grant $500 towards their tuition. Best of all, they give this aid every month. Fred Luster Senior was a founding member of the American Health and Beauty Aids Institute and upon his passing, the Fred Luster, Sr education foundation was formed in his honor. The foundation has contributed over $90,000 in scholarships in the last five years. Keep in mind also that many individual Institutions will be giving out their own scholarships to students who plan on attending their school.
Another route one can go to receive financial aid for Beauty School is through competitions. These are almost all exclusively open to those who are already enrolled in a school. Competitions can range from hair shows to make-up application to nail art. There has even recently been a reality show based on hair shows. This would be a fun, challenging way to try to earn some money for college.
Now that you know the myriad of ways you can get funding for education to get the career of your dreams, go ahead and get started. Don’t let financial worries stand in the way of you dreams. New grants are popping up all the time, so go now and start applying for Cosmetology Scholarships today!
