Cosmetology license in Wisconsin: cost, hours and steps
Wisconsin collects its state fees inside the two exam payments to D.L. Roope, for a first-license total of $314.50.
Cosmetology license fees in Wisconsin
$315
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Exams | $315 |
| Training: 1,550 school hours | about 52 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 2 years | 2 × $11 = $22 |
Cosmetologist license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Practical exam, first time (D.L. Roope / Prometric; includes DSPS fees and exam fee) | $177 |
| Written exam, first time (NIC written + WI law, computerized via IQT; includes DSPS fees and exam fee) | $138 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Wisconsin Cosmetology Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) · read October 20, 2026
A first Wisconsin cosmetologist license costs $314.50 in fees, and all of it is paid to the exam administrator, D.L. Roope: $177 for the practical exam and $137.50 for the written exam, which combines the national NIC written test with a Wisconsin law section on computer through IQT. Both totals, by D.L. Roope's own description, include the fees of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, so there is no separate credential payment to the state at the first license. Wisconsin is the 2nd most expensive of the 15 states priced here (median $163). Training is at least 1,550 hours spread over no less than 10 months in a licensed cosmetology school, about 52 weeks at 30 hours a week, or an apprenticeship. Renewal is cheap: $11 every two years.
Two exam payments that include the state's fees
The Wisconsin Cosmetology Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) does not bill a cosmetology candidate directly at the start. Instead, D.L. Roope's Wisconsin registration form gives a total practical fee of $177 and a total written fee of $137.50, each stated to include the department's fees and D.L. Roope's exam fee. Both exams are required, and fees paid to D.L. Roope stay valid for one year. Each attempt is a new payment, so a failed practical repeats the larger of the two amounts.
Two details are worth knowing. The same form shows a second, higher practical block that appears to be for instructors; this page uses the regular candidate amount. And applying online adds a card processing fee per exam, a vendor charge left out of the totals here.
Wisconsin exam totals across attempts
Cosmetology exam fees in Wisconsin
$629
| First attempt | $315 |
| Each retake adds | $315 |
| All first-license fees | $629 |
1,550 hours over at least 10 months
Wisconsin sets both an hour count and a calendar floor: at least 1,550 training hours in not less than 10 months at a licensed school. Even a student able to log more hours per week cannot finish faster than that. Apprenticeship under Wisconsin statute is the other route, though the department page read for this site does not state its hour count. Applicants must have graduated from high school or be at least 18.
Wisconsin cosmetology school at your pace
Cosmetology training in Wisconsin
52 weeks
| Required hours | 1,550 |
| Months at that pace | 11.9 |
| First-license fees | $315 |
Renewal on a fixed date
Cosmetologist credentials renew for $11 on March 31 of odd-numbered years. Renewal includes an attestation concerning the Cosmetology Digest; no continuing education hour count was found on the department page. Ten years of renewals come to $55, a small sum next to the exams.
Endorsement
Cosmetologists with an active, discipline-free license in another state can apply for licensure by endorsement and skip the D.L. Roope exams. The cosmetology license comparison shows Wisconsin next to the other states, and Washington is the other state where the exam fees push the total highest.
Every cosmetology fee in Wisconsin, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical exam, first time (D.L. Roope / Prometric; includes DSPS fees and exam fee) | $177 per attempt | counted | source |
| Written exam, first time (NIC written + WI law, computerized via IQT; includes DSPS fees and exam fee) | $137.50 per attempt | counted | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 2 years |
| Fee | $11 |
| Continuing education | not read on an official page |
| Required training | 1,550 school hours. At least 1550 training hours in not less than 10 months in a licensed cosmetology school, or an apprenticeship under Wisconsin statute (apprenticeship hours not stated on the DSPS page). |