Texas Cosmetology, Esthetician and Nail License Requirements: Hours, Exams and Pass Rates

How many training hours each Texas barbering and cosmetology license needs, when you can take the written and practical exams, what they cost, and how many candidates pass.

Who licenses beauty professionals in Texas

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses barbers, cosmetologists and specialists under Occupations Code Chapter 1603, and it licenses the schools that train them. Only someone holding a Texas license, or a student permit while training at a licensed school, may perform the regulated services for compensation (§1603.2101). Every school on this site holds a current TDLR school license (private school, high school or vocational program, or community college program).

Training hours by license

TDLR's application pages list the hours of instruction required at a Texas-licensed school (TDLR: apply for an individual license):

• Cosmetology Operator: 1,000 hours
• Class A Barber: 1,000 hours
• Esthetician: 750 hours
• Manicurist: 600 hours
• Manicurist/Esthetician (combination): an 800-hour combined course, or the 750-hour esthetician and 600-hour manicurist courses
• Hair Weaving Specialist/Esthetician: an 800-hour combined course, or 750 esthetician hours plus 300 hair weaving hours
• Eyelash Extension Specialist: 320 hours
• Hair Weaving Specialist: 300 hours

Students receive a student permit while they train. You must be at least 17 to apply for a license. TDLR also offers a dual-credit path for people who already hold a barber or cosmetology operator license and want the other one.

What each license lets you do

The license you train for decides what services you can sell, so pick the program to match the work you want. TDLR's scope of practice guides summarize it:

• A cosmetology operator can do hair, facials and skin treatments, hair removal, nails, eyelash extensions, hair weaving and shaving with a safety razor, but not straight-razor shaving.
• A Class A barber can do most cosmetology services except eyelash extensions, and can shave with a straight razor.
• An esthetician can do facials, cleansing and beautifying treatments of the face, neck, shoulders and arms, hair removal and eyelash extensions, but no hair, nail or hand and foot services.
• A manicurist can do nail treatments and massage and treat hands and feet, and nothing else.
• An eyelash extension specialist can apply eyelash extensions only.

The exams

Every license requires a written exam and a practical exam, delivered through TDLR's testing vendor, PSI. For the operator and Class A barber licenses, the school notifies TDLR once you have completed 900 of the 1,000 hours, and you can then take the written exam; the practical exam follows once you finish all hours and pass the written test. For the specialty licenses, you become eligible for both exams after completing all training. TDLR publishes a candidate information bulletin for each exam, in several languages for the larger license types.

If you apply and pay the $50 application fee after you receive written-exam eligibility but before you take the written exam, and you have finished your hours and cleared the background check, you can print a 60-day temporary license with your practical score report and start work the same day. Licenses are valid for two years.

How many people pass

TDLR publishes exam results each fiscal year. In fiscal year 2025 (TDLR exam statistics):

• Cosmetology operator: 49.05% passed the written exam and 89.10% the practical.
• Class A barber: 37.25% written, 89.80% practical.
• Manicurist: 68.07% written, 82.46% practical.
• Esthetician: 65.75% written, 98.17% practical.

The written exams are where most candidates struggle. When you compare schools, ask each one for its own first-time pass rates on the written exam, and how it prepares students for it.

Working on clients while you train

Texas schools run student clinics where the public can book discounted services, and clinic work is how students build speed and confidence before the practical exam. The law sets two ground rules. A school may not take payment for a student's work until that student has completed 10 percent of the hours required for the license, and every school must keep a list of the names and photos of its enrolled students posted in a conspicuous place (§1603.2314). When you tour a school, ask how soon new students move onto the clinic floor, how many services a typical student performs each week, and whether you are graded on clinic work as well as on theory.

Track your own hours as well. Schools report student hours to TDLR, and TDLR's rules require each student to clock in and out personally where a time clock is used. A quick weekly check against your own notes catches errors early, long before they delay your exam eligibility.

Criminal history

TDLR runs a criminal background check on every applicant and reviews convictions case by case. If you have a conviction other than a minor traffic offense, you can ask TDLR for a criminal history evaluation letter before you enroll, so you know whether the conviction is likely to block a license. Doing this before paying tuition is sensible.

Trained in another state?

TDLR has a separate path for people trained or licensed outside Texas. Hours from out-of-state schools are evaluated under that process rather than transferred like hours between Texas schools.

Moving between Texas schools

A student at a licensed Texas school can transfer completed hours to another licensed Texas school. The first school certifies a transcript to TDLR, and TDLR will not certify it until the agreed tuition has been paid (§1603.2313). Keep copies of your hour reports as you go.

Next steps

1. Decide which license matches the work you want.
2. Shortlist licensed schools near you on this site, and filter by private schools or public programs.
3. Read our guide to choosing a beauty school before you sign an enrollment agreement.

Updated 2026-10-16.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Beauty School Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.