Head-to-head comparison
Advance Beauty College vs CET-San Diego: 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 San Diego, CA
CET-San Diego
- Net price / year
- $22,035
- Earnings, 10 years
- $32,986
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but CET-San Diego comes closer — median earnings $32,986 against a $88,140 total, vs $11,575 at Advance Beauty College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | Advance Beauty College | CET-San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $10,358 | $22,035 |
| Total net cost | $41,432 | $88,140 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $11,575 | $32,986 |
| Median debt | — | $7,041 |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$777,132 | -$395,620 |
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 CET-San Diego?
Advance Beauty College, at $10,358 a year after aid versus $22,035 — a gap of $11,677 a year, or $46,708 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 CET-San Diego graduates earn more?
CET-San Diego graduates report a median $32,986 ten years after entry, $21,411 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?
87% of students finish at CET-San Diego, 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.