Cosmetology license in Kentucky: cost, hours and steps
Kentucky bills each part of the cosmetology exam on its own $85 application, then $50 for the license.
Cosmetology license fees in Kentucky
$220
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $50 |
| Exams | $170 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Theory test application (each exam component scheduled and paid separately) | $85 |
| Practical demonstration application (separate application and fee) | $85 |
| Initial cosmetologist license | $50 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Kentucky Board of Cosmetology · read October 20, 2026
The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology charges $220 for a first cosmetologist license when both exam parts are passed at once. Under 201 KAR 12:030, the theory test and the practical demonstration are each scheduled on a separate application, and 201 KAR 12:260 sets the cosmetologist examination application at $85, retakes included, so the two parts total $170. The initial license then costs $50. Kentucky is the 4th most expensive of the 15 states priced here, against a median of $163, mostly because of those two exam applications. The curriculum is 1,500 hours, about 50 weeks of school at 30 hours a week. Every Kentucky license expires on July 31 of each even-numbered year, whatever the issue date, and renews for $100.
Two applications for one exam
Kentucky's examination rule is unusual in its wording: each exam component is scheduled using a separate application and payment of the fee in 201 KAR 12:260. That fee is $85 for a cosmetologist, and the regulation says the same amount applies to retake applications. A candidate who passes the theory test but fails the practical demonstration files one more practical application, not two.
The $85 for the practical is read from that per-component rule together with the fee schedule; the board page listing both components side by side was not read for this site. Whether a testing company adds its own charge on top was not verified, so none is counted.
Kentucky exam applications with retakes
Cosmetology exam fees in Kentucky
$340
| First attempt | $170 |
| Each retake adds | $170 |
| All first-license fees | $390 |
Timing the theory test
When the board notifies you of a theory exam date, that date is valid for 90 days from the notification. Missing it means starting the scheduling again. After both parts are passed, the initial cosmetologist license is $50.
The 1,500-hour curriculum
The curriculum regulation, 201 KAR 12:082, sets the cosmetology course at 1,500 hours, and the board uses the same figure to judge whether an out-of-state license is comparable. The minimum age was not stated in the regulations read for this page.
Kentucky cosmetology school in weeks
Cosmetology training in Kentucky
50 weeks
| Required hours | 1,500 |
| Months at that pace | 11.5 |
| First-license fees | $220 |
A fixed expiration date
Kentucky does not count two years from the day you were licensed. Every cosmetology license expires on July 31 of each even-numbered year, so a license issued in the spring of an even year runs only a few months before its first renewal at $100. Plan the first renewal into your budget if you finish school close to that date. No continuing education requirement was verified for cosmetologists.
Transferring a license in
A cosmetologist licensed elsewhere files the Out of State Transfer Application with proof of a passed theory and practical exam, or of two years of continuous practice, and pays a $100 endorsement fee. The state-by-state cosmetology page puts Kentucky's total next to its neighbors, including Indiana, where a single written exam is the only test.
Every cosmetology fee in Kentucky, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theory test application (each exam component scheduled and paid separately) | $85 per attempt | counted | source |
| Practical demonstration application (separate application and fee) | $85 per attempt | counted | source |
| Initial cosmetologist 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 hours of cosmetology curriculum (201 KAR 12:082); 201 KAR 12:030 Sec. 6 uses 1,500 hours as the comparability threshold for out-of-state licenses. |