The Professional
Hair Design Academy
For-profit College in Eau Claire, WI. Six-year graduation rate 76%. Median 10-year earnings $29,587.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $29,587, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate of 77% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Graduation rate 76% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
77% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention is strong at 88%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. A 9:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a for-profit two-year institution, outcomes here deserve a harder look than the sector average suggests: for-profit institutions vary enormously, and the sector's aggregate numbers hide both strong and very weak performers. At 103 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 103 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $15,870 annually once grants are applied. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($19,891 versus $22,957), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid is limited — 38% of students receive any. Federal borrowing reaches 43% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 17 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,891 |
| $30–48k | $19,085 |
| $48–75k | $17,838 |
| $75–110k | $23,207 |
| $110k+ | $22,957 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 44 of these 103 students, totalling $390,174 — an average of $8,868 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Eau Claire County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)