The beauty industry has experienced tremendous growth, with Statista projecting a global revenue of US$625.70 billion in 2023. The esthetician or skincare industry is a significant contributor to this revenue, generating US$168.6 billion worldwide.
Your pursuit of this program is a wise decision, and thanks to the growth of online learning, you can now take theoretical classes virtually while completing practical classes in person. This flexibility allows you to conveniently participate in classes from the comfort of your home, providing you with the time to focus on other priorities like work, family, and leisure.
Importantly, numerous accredited online esthetician schools can provide you with the exact training required by the government of your state for the licensure exam. States like Texas, Florida, California, and Georgia, among others, offer exceptional online skincare programs.
Enrolling in an accredited school is crucial because it demonstrates adherence to high-quality educational standards and academic rigor. It also signifies that the school provides industry-relevant and up-to-date knowledge.
Before listing these schools, let’s first understand how to become a professional licensed esthetician through an online program. Then, we will explore the best online skincare programs available.
How to Become an Esthetician Online
It’s easier to become an esthetician online than you could imagine. Here are the right steps you can follow;
- Start by choosing an accredited online school, which we have already provided a handful of them (make sure you meet their requirements too).
- Complete online classes curriculum and hands-on training where you’ll learn from the basics of skin care to more advanced practical training.
- Next is to sit and pass the esthetician licensing exam set by the state you took the program or country (if it’s Canada).
- Once you’ve passed you can now request your license from the state’s board where you will basically need to submit proof that you participated in the program and wrote the licensure exam.
- Finally, you can start your career once you’ve gotten the license. You can work in spas, salons, start your own business, become a freelance esthetician, or work in medical offices, etc.
Pro Tip: Estheticians who work in salons and spas typically earn more than those who work in medical offices.
Best Online Esthetician School
A lot of factors come into play when you want to determine the best online skin care school whether their rigorous curriculum, experienced instructors, provision of high-quality education, innovative teaching method, amongst others. Aveda Institute has proven time and time to be the best online esthetician school, mostly because of its emphasis on natural ingredients and sustainable practices.
other schools in this category include Elaine Sterling Institute, National Laser Institute, Seneca Polytechnic, and NoVa Laser & Esthetics Training.
It’s worth noting that our accredited school skin care school list is not in order of best to worst or the reverse, they were just randomly selected.
Meanwhile there are still other incredible esthetician schools in Florida, Arizona, or even California.
Accredited Esthetician Schools Online
You should note that there is no school that provides a 100% esthetics program – at least we have not heard of any accredited one – due to the hands-on training that the program requires. So what you’ll get is partly online theoretical class and in-person training.
1. Elaine Sterling Institute (USA)
This school is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) to offer high-quality esthetics education. Their hybrid program provides a comprehensive 1000-hour curriculum (9 months) that aligns with the state of Georgia’s licensing requirements for skincare professionals.
- Tuition: $17,000
- Kit, Book and Supplies: $1,900
- Accreditation: Council on Occupational Education
- Location
- 3393 Peachtree RD NE #1003 B Atlanta, GA, 30326
2. National Laser Institute (USA)
This is among the accredited esthetician schools online that focus more on advanced hybrid training such as the Online Comprehensive Laser Course and CME Online Cosmetic Injections Course.
They have several nationwide (U.S.) locations where you can choose to attend your clinicals for hands-on training.
- Tuition: $10,950
- Accreditation: Arizona Board of Private Post-Secondary Education, the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency, the American Academy of Family Physicians, among others.
3. Saint Paul College (USA)
This is another best online esthetician school that offers two programs; the Esthetician International Diploma where you’ll be prepared for the CIDESCO examination and the Esthetician Certificate. Note that, most of their courses are in-person while few are online.
- Accreditation: Comite’ International d’Esthetique et de Cosmetologie (CIDESCO)
- Tuition: $204.20 per credit hour
- Location
- 235 Marshall Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55102
4. Georgian College (Canada)
At Georgian College, you’ll learn how to provide spa modalities, such as makeup and specialized skin, body, and hand/foot treatments. The school will still go further to help you understand the proper business applications needed to run a small skincare business.
The program is a little bit longer than what you’ll regularly see in the U.S., it will take you two years to complete but you’ll be awarded with an Ontario College Diploma.
- Accreditation: CIDESCO
- Location
- One Georgian Dr., Barrie ON L4M 3X9
5. Seneca Polytechnic (Canada)
This is among the accredited esthetician schools online in Canada that take two years to complete. In the program, you’ll be mastering facials, manicures, pedicures, body treatments, and waxing.
- Tuition: $3,585 (Domestic); $16,478 (International)
- Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- Location
- 1750 Finch Avenue East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2J 2X5
6. Aveda Institute Columbus (USA)
The Aveda Institute Columbus is a cosmetology and esthiology/nail esthetics school approved and licensed by the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology. It provides three different esthetics programs depending on your level which include Esthetics Program, Advanced Esthetician Program, and Esthetician Instructor Program.
- Tuition: Estimated at $25,789
- Accreditation: National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts & Sciences (NACCAS)
- Location
- 889 Bethel Rd. Columbus, OH 43214
7. International College of Beauty Arts & Science (USA)
This accredited Hybrid skin care program provided by ICBAS takes 600 hours to complete and 50% of their class is done online while the remaining 50% which is practical training is done in the school. The program will begin with Disinfection and Sanitation, and progress to facials, In the last class you’ll learn Depilatories.
- Tuition: $12,977
- Accreditation: NACCAS
- Location
- 5225 W San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles, California 90039
8. NoVa Laser & Esthetics Training (USA)
This is one of the accredited skin care schools online that provides a 600-hour Fundamental Esthetics Licensure Program that covers topics like Skin Care, State Laws and Regulations, Body & Advanced Treatments, etc. It also provides a 600-hour Advanced Esthetics Licensure Program where you’ll be diving deeper into topics like Advanced Treatments, Microdermabrasion, Lymphatic Drainage Treatments, etc.
- Accreditation: Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)
- Location:
- 2785 Richmond Hwy. Suite 113 & 115 Stafford, VA 22554
9. Dolly Monroe Beauty Academy (USA)
This best online esthetician school offers both a 300-hour and 600-hour Esthetics & Makeup Artistry Program. It also offers a Massage Therapy Program, 320 Hours of Electrology, and Laser Hair Removal.
- Accreditation: Florida Department of Education
- Locations
- 10359 Cross Creek Blvd Suite E Tampa, FL 33647
- 3841 E Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32803
10. New York Institute of Beauty (USA)
NYIB partners with CIMA by Milady, a digital learning platform, to provide online classes to their students. Just like some other accredited esthetician schools online we have listed, NYIB provides both a Traditional Esthetics Program aligning with State of NY requirements and an Advanced Esthetics Program.
- Accreditation: NACCAS
- Tuition: $15,741
- Location
- 11 Oval Drive, Suite #180 Islandia, NY 11749
11. Evergreen Beauty College (USA)
How Evergreen Beauty College runs its hybrid program is by holding classes for four hours each day, and then other additional assignments and coursework are done online. Their program is divided into three phases the first phase starts with basic topics, then the last phase goes deeper into more advanced topics.
- Accreditation: NACCAS
- Tuition: Around $10,000 to $15,000
- Location
- 1414 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
- 1222 Bronson Way North Renton, WA 98057
- Plus other locations in Washington.
12. GLOW College (Canada)
GLOW College offers different 100% online, hybrid, and in-person skin care programs which include International Beauty Sanitation, Skin Care and Facial Treatments, Advanced Skincare Treatments, and Waxing.
- Accreditation: Career Colleges Ontario
- Tuition: $11,400
13. The Esthetic Institute (Canada)
At the Esthetic Institute, you’ll be diving into a complete beginner esthetic training program which will focus on all you need to start a career as a skin care specialist. You can choose from their three delivery options which include Blended Format (hybrid), Traditional Format (100% in-person), and Distance Learning.
- Accreditation: CIDESCO
- Tuition: $12,995
- Location
- 4110 – 7005 Fairmount Drive SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 0J1
- 7005 Fairmount Drive SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 0J1
14. New Age Spa (Canada)
New Age Spa provides several basic and advanced aesthetic programs which include a basic esthetic course, advanced esthetic course, medical esthetics, chemical peel course, and Dermaplaning Course, amongst others.
The school proudly boasts an estimated employment rate of 99%, which means you’re guaranteed to start a career immediately after graduation making it among the best online esthetician schools.
- Tuition: $4,200
- Locations
- 2365 Rue Saint-Patrick, Montreal
- 5045 rue Jean-Talon Est, Saint-Léonard
- 1655 Boulevard de l’Avenir, Laval
15. Advance Beauty College (USA)
This is among the accredited esthetician schools online that provide 600 hours of skin care training. Your first 200 hours will be spent learning the health and safety of the program followed by a 350-hour skin care training and a summary of 50 hours of Hair Removal, Lash & Brow Beautification class.
- Accreditation: NACCAS
- Location
- 10121 Westminster Ave | Garden Grove, CA 92843
16. Citrus College (USA)
Citrus College focuses on skin treatment care that is the same as those found in European-style salons and spas at an affordable price. It offers a 600-hour esthetician curriculum which can be completed within 6 months as a full-time student and 10 months as a part-time student.
Accreditation: Board of Barbering and Cosmetology – State of California
- Location
- 1000 W. Foothill Blvd. Glendora, CA 91741
17. NIMA Institute
The National Institute of Medical Aesthetics is among the accredited skin care schools online that focuses on medical aesthetics and laser training. With their understanding of what it takes to succeed in today’s market, they will always provide you with up-to-date and relevant training for your success.
Accreditation: NACCAS
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Las Vegas, NV
18. Davidson-Davie Community College (USA)
This community college in North Carolina provides a 1-year program in Esthetics Technology where you will learn not only the technological aspect of skincare, but also business/human relations, product knowledge, and other related topics.
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Tuition: $76 (In-state); $268 (out-of-state)
- Location:
- 1205 Salisbury Road Mocksville, NC 27028
- 297 DCC Road Thomasville, NC 27360
19. Houston Community College (USA)
This is among the accredited cosmetology schools that provide a hybrid program where students will learn how to perform basic manipulative skills in the areas of hairstyling, hair shaping, hair coloring, texture services, scalp and hair conditioning, etc.
Accreditation: SACSCOC
- Location
- 3100 Main Street, Houston TX 77002
20. Elite Cosmetology School
This list of accredited esthetician schools online wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Elite Cosmetology School first of all for their ability to cover all major aspects of the esthetics program within 4 months. Secondly their approach of allowing their students to work on real-life clients under their supervision to gain the real-world experience you need, etc.
- Total Cost: $10,196
- Accreditation: NACCAS
- Location
- 72-840 CA-111 Palm Desert, CA 92260
Key Takeaway
By now you’ve known the bright future you have as a licensed Esthetician, and even though the traditional on-campus mode of learning has been the norm for a very long time, you can see with these online/hybrid schools you can now learn more at your convenience.
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