Head-to-head comparison
National Career Education vs Advance Beauty College: which has better ROI?
Option A Citrus Heights, CA
National Career Education
- Net price / year
- $25,380
- Earnings, 10 years
- $38,015
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Garden Grove, CA
Advance Beauty College
- Net price / year
- $10,358
- Earnings, 10 years
- $11,575
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but National Career Education comes closer — median earnings $38,015 against a $101,520 total, vs $11,575 at Advance Beauty College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | National Career Education | Advance Beauty College |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $25,380 | $10,358 |
| Total net cost | $101,520 | $41,432 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $38,015 | $11,575 |
| Median debt | $7,853 | — |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$308,420 | -$777,132 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, National Career Education or Advance Beauty College?
Advance Beauty College, at $10,358 a year after aid versus $25,380 — a gap of $15,022 a year, or $60,088 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 National Career Education or Advance Beauty College graduates earn more?
National Career Education graduates report a median $38,015 ten years after entry, $26,440 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?
83% of students finish at National Career Education, 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.