Cosmetology license in Alabama: cost, hours and steps
Alabama charges $255 for a first cosmetologist license, mostly for two PSI exams, after 1,500 hours of beauty school.
Cosmetology license fees in Alabama
$255
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $50 |
| Exams | $205 |
| Training: 1,500 school hours | about 50 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 2 years | 2 × $100 = $200 |
Cosmetologist license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Written (theory) exam, PSI | $75 |
| Practical exam, PSI | $130 |
| Original license | $50 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering · read October 20, 2026
A first cosmetologist license in Alabama costs $255 in fees when both exams are passed on the first try: $75 for the written theory exam, $130 for the practical exam, both administered by PSI, and $50 for the original license issued by the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. That places Alabama 13th cheapest of the 15 states priced here, well above the median of $163, because its practical exam is one of the dearer ones. The training requirement is 1,500 school clock hours, or 3,000 hours as an apprentice, and the two routes cannot be mixed. At 30 hours a week, school takes about 50 weeks. Candidates then have two years from finishing the program to pass both exams. The personal license renews for $100, and no license is valid for more than two years.
Three payments, two of them to PSI
Alabama does not bundle anything. The board's fee page lists the written examination at $75 and the practical at a higher price, $130, and the same page uses the words "or Reexamination" for each, so a retake of either part costs exactly what the first sitting cost. The third line is the original license, $50, paid once you have passed. The fees read for this site include no separate application, fingerprint or background charge for a candidate coming out of an Alabama school.
The practical is the expensive half. It alone is more than half of the $255 total, which is why a failed practical hurts more here than in most states. Failing both parts once and passing on the second try would add $205.
Alabama PSI exam fees with retakes
Cosmetology exam fees in Alabama
$410
| First attempt | $205 |
| Each retake adds | $205 |
| All first-license fees | $460 |
School hours or an apprenticeship, not both
The board accepts two paths to the exams. The usual one is 1,500 clock hours in a licensed school. The alternative is 3,000 hours as an apprentice, twice as long, and the board does not let a candidate count some school hours and some apprentice hours toward one total. Pick the route before you start, since switching halfway means starting the count again. The minimum age recorded for the license is 16.
Weeks of Alabama beauty school at your pace
Cosmetology training in Alabama
50 weeks
| Required hours | 1,500 |
| Months at that pace | 11.5 |
| First-license fees | $255 |
The two-year clock after graduation
Once your hours are certified, you have two years from the end of the program to pass both the written and the practical exam. Book them early enough to leave room for a retake. After licensing, cosmetologists renew in odd-numbered years in their birth month, for $100 per personal renewal; the board's pages read for this site did not state a continuing education requirement for cosmetologists, so none is counted.
Coming from another state
A cosmetologist licensed elsewhere applies by reciprocity with a certification of licensure from the current state. The reciprocity application has its own fee, and the board may still require the practical exam or both exams at the prices above. The cosmetology license overview compares these totals with every other state priced here, and Kentucky shows a state with the same 1,500-hour bar but per-component exam applications.
Every cosmetology fee in Alabama, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written (theory) exam, PSI | $75 per attempt | counted | source |
| Practical exam, PSI | $130 per attempt | counted | source |
| Original license | $50 | counted | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 2 years |
| Fee | $100 |
| Continuing education | not read on an official page |
| Required training | 1,500 school hours. 1,500 school clock hours or 3,000 apprentice clock hours; school and apprentice hours may not be combined. |