Head-to-head comparison
American Beauty College vs Coastline Beauty College: which has better ROI?
Option A West Covina, CA
American Beauty College
- Net price / year
- $25,781
- Earnings, 10 years
- $22,481
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Fountain Valley, CA
Coastline Beauty College
- Net price / year
- $22,007
- Earnings, 10 years
- $11,585
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but American Beauty College comes closer — median earnings $22,481 against a $103,124 total, vs $11,585 at Coastline Beauty College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | American Beauty College | Coastline Beauty College |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $25,781 | $22,007 |
| Total net cost | $103,124 | $88,028 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $22,481 | $11,585 |
| Median debt | $5,430 | — |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$620,704 | -$823,528 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, American Beauty College or Coastline Beauty College?
Coastline Beauty College, at $22,007 a year after aid versus $25,781 — a gap of $3,774 a year, or $15,096 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 American Beauty College or Coastline Beauty College graduates earn more?
American Beauty College graduates report a median $22,481 ten years after entry, $10,896 more than the $11,585 at Coastline 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 Coastline Beauty College, against 69% at American 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.