Cosmetology license in Indiana: cost, hours and steps
Indiana asks for no practical exam: a $40 application and a $49 PSI written test make up the whole fee bill.
Cosmetology license fees in Indiana
$89
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $40 |
| Exams | $49 |
| Training: 1,500 school hours | about 50 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 4 years | 1 × $40 = $40 |
Cosmetologist license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Individual beauty culture license application | $40 |
| Cosmetologist written examination (PSI) | $49 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) · read October 20, 2026
An Indiana cosmetologist license costs $89 in fees, the 3rd lowest total of the 15 states priced here (median $163). The bill has two lines: a $40 application for the individual beauty culture license, paid by card to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and not refundable, and $49 for the cosmetologist written examination delivered by PSI. Indiana requires only that written exam; there is no practical. The training requirement is 1,500 hours at an Indiana beauty culture school, about 50 weeks at 30 hours a week, and a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship is accepted as well. Applicants must have completed the tenth grade and be at least 17 with a high school diploma or equivalent, otherwise eighteen. The license lasts four years and renews for $40, among the longest cycles of the states priced here.
The fee bill, line by line
The Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) charges $40 for the application, and its licensing page says all application fees are nonrefundable. The exam is paid separately to PSI: its Indiana bulletin, effective since May 2025, lists the cosmetologist exam at $49. Once paid, the PSI fee stays valid for one year, so there is no rush to test the week you finish school, but the clock does run. Each new attempt is a new PSI fee.
Indiana PSI written exam spend with retakes
Cosmetology exam fees in Indiana
$98
| First attempt | $49 |
| Each retake adds | $49 |
| All first-license fees | $138 |
A written test and nothing else
Indiana and California are the two states priced here that skip the hands-on exam. For an Indiana candidate that means one booking instead of two, and a cheap failure: a retake of the only exam costs $49. Your skills are assessed by the school during the 1,500 hours instead.
Where the 1,500 hours come from
The licensing agency accepts hours from an Indiana beauty culture school or from a registered apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. The agency page read for this site does not give a separate hour count for the apprenticeship route, so ask the program sponsor how it maps to the school total.
Indiana beauty culture school in weeks
Cosmetology training in Indiana
50 weeks
| Required hours | 1,500 |
| Months at that pace | 11.5 |
| First-license fees | $89 |
Four-year renewal
Under IC 25-8-4-17, a beauty culture license expires four years after its initial expiration date, and the renewal fee is $40. Over twelve years of practice that is 3 renewals and $120. The board's statutes and rules compilation shows its continuing education article as repealed; no hour requirement is counted here, though this was not confirmed on a page that says so in plain words.
Moving to Indiana
A cosmetologist licensed in a jurisdiction with substantially equal requirements can apply by reciprocity for $40. The other jurisdiction must require at least 70% to pass its written and practical exams, and the board may count licensed practice toward any missing education hours. More states are compared on the cosmetology license hub; Ohio next door uses the same 1,500-hour figure.
Every cosmetology fee in Indiana, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual beauty culture license application | $40 | counted | source |
| Cosmetologist written examination (PSI) | $49 per attempt | counted | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 4 years |
| Fee | $40 |
| Continuing education | not read on an official page |
| Required training | 1,500 school hours. 1,500 hours at an Indiana beauty culture school. A Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program is also accepted. Must have completed 10th grade. |