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Cosmetology Scholarships With Fall 2026 Deadlines (Updated September 29)
Beauty Changes Lives is open through October 31, and several smaller awards close this week or next month. Here is every cosmetology scholarship we could verify, with amounts, deadlines, and what each one asks for, plus the ones that reopen in the spring.
Quick answer: As of September 29, 2026, Beauty Changes Lives is open through October 31. Rosy Rewards ($250) closes October 1, the David Waters Endowed Scholarship ($500) closes October 30, and Buy-Rite's Beauty School Scholarship ($1,000) closes November 1. Great Clips, Beauty & Wellness Professionals, and Joe Francis reopen or close in spring 2027.
Beauty school is not cheap. Programs typically run somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000, according to SoFi's compiled cost data, before the kit and exam fees. The good news is that this fall has real money open to beauty students, and several of the awards ask for very little.
We checked each one against the sponsor's own page or a current listing. Deadlines change every year, so confirm on the sponsor's site before you apply. Some of these close this week.
Open Now and Closing Soon
| Scholarship | Amount | Deadline | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosy Rewards Scholarship | $250 | October 1, 2026 | No essay, no minimum GPA, no transcripts |
| David Waters Endowed Scholarship Fund | $500 | October 30, 2026 | No essay, no recommendations, no transcripts |
| Beauty Changes Lives, fall season | Varies by award | October 31, 2026 | Usually essay or video responses plus enrollment details |
| Buy-Rite's Annual Beauty School Scholarship | $1,000 | November 1, 2026 | Essay of 500 to 1,000 words; no recommendations or minimum GPA |
Sources: Sallie's cosmetology scholarship listing (September 2026), Scholarships360 (2026), and Beauty Changes Lives (2026).
Rosy Rewards is offered by Rosy Salon Software and awards two $250 scholarships a year to students enrolled in cosmetology, barber, or esthetics programs, according to SoFi. It is small, quick, and closes in two days. Sallie lists it as no-essay, but SoFi's description mentions a letter of recommendation, a resume, and two photos of your work, so read the sponsor's application before you start.
Beauty Changes Lives is the largest one here. Its site says it awards over $500,000 in scholarships each year to current and future professionals in cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, nail technology, and massage therapy, in four seasonal windows. The fall window runs September 1 through October 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST, and the current list includes many separate awards with a handful of winners each. Published amounts differ by source, from $2,500 to $10,000 (SalonExam) to $2,500 to $20,000 (The College Investor), so read each award's own page.
Buy-Rite asks for an essay about your most meaningful achievement and how it relates to your future in beauty, per Scholarships360. That is a real essay, but a short one, and you can use the same story elsewhere.
Coming in Spring 2027
| Scholarship | Amount | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Great Clips Great Scholarship Program | Up to $5,000 tuition reimbursement | March 1, 2027 (Spring award) |
| Huffstutter Family Stylist Scholarship | Varies | March 1, 2027 |
| Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship | $2,500, no essay | March 2, 2027 |
| Joe Francis Haircare Scholarship | $3,000 | June 1, 2027 |
Great Clips awards more than $100,000 in scholarships each year across the US and Canada, and it is open to high school and post-high school students enrolled in a cosmetology or barbering program. Its application asks for an original essay and a short form, and essays are evaluated on quality, originality, authenticity, and impact, according to Great Clips. The fall 2026 deadline of September 1 has already passed, so the next chance is March 1, 2027.
The Big No-Essay Drawings
Sallie's list also includes large no-essay entries with deadlines this week: Sallie's $2,000 award, "Be Bold" ($25,000), ScholarshipOwl ($50,000), and CollegeXpress ($2,500), all due September 30, and Niche's $40,000 award due October 15.
These cost nothing to enter and take a few minutes. They are also drawings, and Sallie's own disclaimer says odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Enter them if you have time, and put your real effort into awards aimed at beauty students, where far fewer people apply. Never pay a fee to apply for a scholarship.
Your Scholarship Calendar for the Next Year
Put these in your phone today. Dates come from the sponsors and listings above, and Beauty Changes Lives runs four seasonal windows a year, so its other seasons will bring more.
| Date | What is due |
|---|---|
| September 30, 2026 | Sallie, Be Bold, ScholarshipOwl, and CollegeXpress drawings |
| October 1, 2026 | Rosy Rewards ($250) |
| October 15, 2026 | Niche $40,000 drawing |
| October 30, 2026 | David Waters Endowed Scholarship ($500) |
| October 31, 2026 | Beauty Changes Lives, fall season |
| November 1, 2026 | Buy-Rite Beauty School Scholarship ($1,000) |
| March 1, 2027 | Great Clips Spring award; Huffstutter Family Stylist Scholarship |
| March 2, 2027 | Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship ($2,500) |
| June 1, 2027 | Joe Francis Haircare Scholarship ($3,000) |
What to Say in a Short Essay
Great Clips tells applicants that it starts with being yourself, and that essays are judged on quality, originality, authenticity, and impact. That is good advice for any beauty scholarship. A few things that tend to work:
- Start with a moment, not a mission statement. The first time you finished a set of nails, or the client who cried at the mirror, tells a reader more than "I have always loved beauty"
- Be specific about what you want to do. A stylist who wants to work with textured hair, an esthetician who wants to help clients with acne, or a nail tech who wants to open a studio all sound more prepared than "I want to work in beauty"
- Say what the money would do. A kit, exam fees, and a month of rent are all honest answers
- Keep it short and proofread it. Have someone you trust read it before you submit
How to Apply Without Losing a Weekend
- Put every deadline in your calendar today, including the spring ones
- Write one strong story about why you chose beauty, and adapt it. Great Clips asks what is exciting about a career in the industry, and Buy-Rite asks about an achievement. They overlap
- Apply to the easy ones first. Rosy Rewards and David Waters take minutes
- Ask your school. Many beauty schools have their own scholarships, and Great Clips partners with participating schools
- Keep proof of enrollment ready. Most awards ask for it
- Apply again next season. Sallie notes that new scholarships open year-round
Stack It With Other Help
Scholarships are one layer. Two more are worth a conversation with your school's financial aid office:
- Federal aid. Confirm your school has an active Federal School Code and that your specific program is aid-eligible, as Dalton Institute advises. Sallie points to the 2027-28 FAFSA guide for next year's questions
- WIOA. This federal program funds job training, including some cosmetology programs. Eligibility is set by each state and usually depends on income and employment status, according to SalonExam
A $500 award will not cover tuition. It can cover a set of shears or your exam fees, which are real money at this stage. For scale, Texas students pay about $181 in state exam and application fees, per Texas licensing guides.
Start Earning While You Study
Scholarships help you pay for school. The other half is starting to earn from it. If you are enrolled in an accredited program, a free Primzy student profile gives you a booking link to hand to your next practice client, and a place for their reviews to build up before you are licensed.
How to Decide What to Apply For
If you have 10 minutes today: Apply for Rosy Rewards (closes October 1) and the David Waters scholarship (October 30).
If you have a weekend: Write one honest essay and use it for Buy-Rite (November 1) and your Beauty Changes Lives applications (October 31).
If you are in esthetics, nails, or barbering: Look at the Beauty Changes Lives list. It covers your specialties too.
If you missed the September 1 Great Clips deadline: Mark March 1, 2027 now, and ask your school whether it partners with them.
If you need more than scholarships can cover: Talk to your financial aid office about federal aid and WIOA before you borrow.
Sources
- Sallie, "Top Cosmetology Scholarships" (September 2026)
- Beauty Changes Lives, "Scholarships and Opportunities" (2026); The College Investor, "Beauty Changes Lives Scholarships" (2026)
- Scholarships360, "Top 13 Cosmetology Scholarships in August 2026"
- Great Clips, "Helping Future Stylists and Barbers 100,000+ Ways"
- SoFi, "Top Cosmetology Scholarships in 2026"; SalonExam, "Cosmetology School Scholarships & Financial Aid Guide (2026)"
- Dalton Institute, "How Much Does Cosmetology School Cost and How Can You Pay for It?" (2026)
