Head-to-head comparison
Advance Beauty College vs Career Academy of Beauty: which has better ROI?
Option A Garden Grove, CA
Advance Beauty College
- Net price / year
- $10,358
- Earnings, 10 years
- $11,575
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Garden Grove, CA
Career Academy of Beauty
- Net price / year
- $17,769
- Earnings, 10 years
- $24,410
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but Career Academy of Beauty comes closer — median earnings $24,410 against a $71,076 total, vs $11,575 at Advance Beauty College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | Advance Beauty College | Career Academy of Beauty |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $10,358 | $17,769 |
| Total net cost | $41,432 | $71,076 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $11,575 | $24,410 |
| Median debt | — | $6,333 |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$777,132 | -$550,076 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, Advance Beauty College or Career Academy of Beauty?
Advance Beauty College, at $10,358 a year after aid versus $17,769 — a gap of $7,411 a year, or $29,644 across the full degree. These are net prices after grants and scholarships, not sticker prices, so they reflect what an aided student pays.
The short answer
Do Advance Beauty College or Career Academy of Beauty graduates earn more?
Career Academy of Beauty graduates report a median $24,410 ten years after entry, $12,835 more than the $11,575 at Advance Beauty College. Both are institution-wide medians from federal tax records, so a high-paying major at the lower school can beat the average at the higher one.
The short answer
Which graduates more of its students?
92% of students finish at Career Academy of Beauty, against 67% at Advance Beauty College. Completion matters to the ROI arithmetic because a degree that is never finished still carries its cost and its debt, but earns none of the graduate premium above the $48,360 high-school baseline.