Cosmetology license in Maryland: cost, hours and steps
Maryland's PSI exams cost $47 each when booked one at a time, or $77 for the pair, and the license itself is $28.
Cosmetology license fees in Maryland
$122
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $28 |
| Exams | $94 |
| Training: 1,500 school hours | about 50 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 2 years | 2 × $28 = $56 |
Cosmetologist license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cosmetologist original license | $28 |
| Cosmetologist theory exam (PSI) | $47 |
| Cosmetologist practical exam (PSI) | $47 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists (Maryland Department of Labor) · read October 20, 2026
In Maryland the first cosmetologist license costs $122 in fees as counted here: $47 for the PSI theory exam, $47 for the PSI practical and $28 for the original license from the Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists (Maryland Department of Labor). The board's exam page also offers both tests together for $77, which lowers the total for anyone who books them at once. Even at the separate prices, Maryland ranks 6th cheapest of the 15 states priced here, below the median of $163. Training is 1,500 hours in an approved program, about 50 weeks at 30 hours a week, and students may take the theory test at 1,380 hours. An apprenticeship is the alternative route. The license runs two years and renews for $28, and since January 1, 2026 each renewal requires 6 hours of approved continuing education.
Book the two exams together if you can
The Maryland exam page prices a cosmetologist's theory test and practical at $47 each when taken alone, and at $77 when the practical and theory are taken together. The calculator counts the two single-test prices, because a candidate who fails one part retakes only that part at $47. If you book both at once and pass both, you save $17 on the figures shown here. PSI test fees are valid for one year, and the theory and practical scores must be passed within two years of each other.
Maryland exam spend if a part is retaken
Cosmetology exam fees in Maryland
$188
| First attempt | $94 |
| Each retake adds | $94 |
| All first-license fees | $216 |
From the last exam to the license
About ten working days after you pass both exams, the board sends instructions for obtaining the license. The original cosmetologist license is $28. No fingerprint or background fee appears in the fees read for this license.
School or a senior cosmetologist
An approved cosmetology program runs 1,500 hours, and the theory test opens at 1,380 hours, so a student can sit it before graduation and keep the practical for the end. The apprenticeship route is measured in time rather than hours: at least 20 hours a week for 24 to 36 months under a senior cosmetologist. Maryland's board pages read for this site do not state a minimum age.
Weeks of Maryland cosmetology school
Cosmetology training in Maryland
50 weeks
| Required hours | 1,500 |
| Months at that pace | 11.5 |
| First-license fees | $122 |
Renewal with continuing education
The renewal fee is $28 for a two-year license, the same amount as the original license. Continuing education became a condition of renewal with compliance from January 1, 2026: 6 approved hours per cycle. Across eight years that is 4 renewals, $112 in fees and 24 hours of courses.
Endorsement, with a list of exceptions
Maryland grants licensure by endorsement to holders of an active license from a state with comparable requirements, and may waive the exams. Applicants from some states need six months of work experience first, and the board names states whose licensees must pass both Maryland exams, among them Connecticut, Florida and Illinois, Pennsylvania licensees tested after November 24, 2014 and California licensees tested after January 1, 2022. The endorsement application costs $28. The cosmetology license overview lists every state priced here.
Every cosmetology fee in Maryland, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetologist original license | $28 | counted | source |
| Cosmetologist theory exam (PSI) | $47 per attempt | counted | source |
| Cosmetologist practical exam (PSI) | $47 per attempt | counted | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 2 years |
| Fee | $28 |
| Continuing education | 6 hours per cycle |
| Required training | 1,500 school hours. 1,500 hours in an approved cosmetology program; students may take the theory test at 1,380 hours. Apprenticeship alternative: at least 20 hours per week for 24 to 36 months under a senior cosmetologist. |