Indiana beauty licenses
Indiana cosmetology license requirements
To work as a cosmetologist in Indiana you need a Cosmetologist license from the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. It takes 1,500 hours of school and $40 in state fees. Exams: written test (through PSI) and a final practical demonstration. Barbers, nail technicians and estheticians each need a license of their own, below. Every figure is quoted from the state's official pages, read on October 22, 2026.
- Cosmetology hours
- 1,500
- Barber hours
- 1,500
Licensed by the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Cosmetologist
Indiana cosmetology license
- License
- Cosmetologist
- Issued by
- The Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
- Training
- 1,500 hours1,500 hours at a beauty culture school; a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship is also accepted, but no apprenticeship hour count is stated. About 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
- Exams
- Written test (through PSI) and a final practical demonstration
- Who can apply
- 17 years old, completed 10th grade or equivalent, and graduated from a beauty culture school or completed a registered apprenticeship
- State fees, first license
- $40
- Renewal
- Every 4 years, $40
- Continuing education
- Not stated
Indiana's 1,500 hours are the same as the 1,500 hours of the middle state.
Barber
Indiana barber license
- License
- Barber
- Issued by
- The Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
- Training
- 1,500 hoursAbout 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
- Exams
- Written and practical exams
- Who can apply
- 18 years old, or 17 and a graduate of an accredited high school
- State fees, first license
- $40
- Renewal
- Every 4 years, $40
- Continuing education
- Not stated
Indiana's 1,500 hours are more than the 1,250 hours of the middle state.
Nail technician
Indiana nail technician license
Indiana calls it the Manicurist license.
- License
- Manicurist
- Issued by
- The Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
- Training
- 450 hoursAbout 3 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
- Exams
- Written test and practical demonstration
- Who can apply
- 18 years old and completed 8th grade or equivalent
- State fees, first license
- $40
- Renewal
- Every 4 years, $40
- Continuing education
- Not stated
Indiana's 450 hours are more than the 350 hours of the middle state.
Esthetician
Indiana esthetician license
- License
- Esthetician
- Issued by
- The Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
- Training
- 700 hoursAbout 5 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
- Exams
- Written test and practical demonstration
- Who can apply
- 17 years old and completed 10th grade or equivalent
- State fees, first license
- $40
- Renewal
- Every 4 years, $40
- Continuing education
- Not stated
Indiana's 700 hours are more than the 600 hours of the middle state.
Doing lashes, lifts, waxing or threading? See which license Indiana requires for each. Microblading or permanent makeup? See what Indiana requires for it. Microneedling, peels, dermaplaning or lasers? See what an esthetician may do in Indiana.
Moving here
Licensed in another state?
By reciprocity: a valid license from another state that imposes substantially equal requirements; otherwise the board may approve education hours plus licensed practice.
Good to know in Indiana
- The written exam is taken through PSI, a testing company, and the state application fee is paid separately.
- Applicants from a state that does not issue the license may get an initial provisional license and must work under a licensed supervisor.
- For endorsement, the other state must send license certification directly; a copy of your license is not enough.
Sources
What Indiana's official pages say
Each figure above, in the words of the state's own pages, rules or statutes, read on October 22, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the board before you enroll or apply.
- Cosmetologist: license
“The board may license a person to be a cosmetologist.”
secure.in.gov - Cosmetologist: training hours
“Totals 575 925 1,500”
secure.in.gov “(A) one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours of education required by 820 IAC 4-4-4”
secure.in.gov - Cosmetologist: exams
“Each applicant must pass a final practical demonstration examination of the acts permitted by the license.”
secure.in.gov “The examinations described in section 7 of this chapter must include: (1) a practical demonstration of the acts permitted by the license; and (2) a written test”
secure.in.gov “You must pass the written examination through PSI”
in.gov - Cosmetologist: who can apply
“(1) is at least seventeen (17) years of age; (2) has successfully completed the tenth grade or received the equivalent of tenth grade education;”
secure.in.gov “(3) has graduated from a beauty culture school or completed a United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program to practice cosmetology;”
secure.in.gov - Cosmetologist: fees
“(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov “Application Fee of $40.00”
in.gov - Cosmetologist: renewal
“expires four (4) years after the initial expiration date”
secure.in.gov “The board shall charge and collect the following renewal fees every four (4) years for licenses:”
secure.in.gov “(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov - Barber: license
“The board may license a person to be a barber.”
secure.in.gov - Barber: training hours
“has graduated with not less than one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours of training in a barber program in a beauty culture school;”
secure.in.gov - Barber: exams
“An applicant shall be deemed to have passed the barber examination upon attaining a passing score of 75% on the written portion and a passing score of 75% on the practical portion of the examination.”
secure.in.gov - Barber: who can apply
“(1) is either: (A) at least eighteen (18) years of age; or (B) at least seventeen (17) years of age and is a graduate of an accredited high school;”
secure.in.gov - Barber: fees
“(1) Barber license: $40 (2) Barber instructor license: $40”
secure.in.gov - Barber: renewal
“expires four (4) years after the initial expiration date”
secure.in.gov “(1) Barber license: $40 (2) Barber instructor license: $40”
secure.in.gov - Nail technician: license
“"Manicurist" means a person licensed under IC 25-8-11 to provide manicuring.”
secure.in.gov - Nail technician: training hours
“Totals 195 255 450”
secure.in.gov - Nail technician: exams
“The examinations described in section 7 of this chapter must include: (1) a practical demonstration of the acts permitted by the license; and (2) a written test”
secure.in.gov - Nail technician: who can apply
“(1) is at least eighteen (18) years of age; (2) has successfully completed the eighth grade or received the equivalent of an eighth grade education;”
secure.in.gov - Nail technician: fees
“(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov “Application Fee of $40.00”
in.gov - Nail technician: renewal
“expires four (4) years after the initial expiration date”
secure.in.gov “(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov - Esthetician: license
“The board may license a person to be an esthetician.”
secure.in.gov - Esthetician: training hours
“An esthetician curriculum shall be a minimum course of seven hundred (700) hours of instruction in the theory and practice of esthetics”
secure.in.gov - Esthetician: exams
“(4) have received a satisfactory grade (as defined by IC 25-8-4-9) on an examination for esthetician license applicants prescribed by the board;”
secure.in.gov “The examinations described in section 7 of this chapter must include: (1) a practical demonstration of the acts permitted by the license; and (2) a written test”
secure.in.gov - Esthetician: who can apply
“(1) be at least seventeen (17) years of age; (2) have successfully completed the tenth grade or received the equivalent of a tenth grade education;”
secure.in.gov - Esthetician: fees
“(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov “Application Fee of $40.00”
in.gov - Esthetician: renewal
“expires four (4) years after the initial expiration date”
secure.in.gov “(1) Cosmetologist: $40 (2) Electrologist: $40 (3) Esthetician: $40 (4) Manicurist: $40”
secure.in.gov - Licensed in another state
“To apply by reciprocity, a person must possess a valid license from another jurisdiction to perform acts that require a license”
in.gov “Application Fee of $40.00”
in.gov - Also good to know
“You must pass the written examination through PSI”
in.gov - Also good to know
“If an applicant comes from a jurisdiction that does not issue a beauty culture license, the board may issue an initial provisional license”
in.gov - Also good to know
“Request a license certification from the state(s) or country you hold, or have held, a license in.”
in.gov
Questions
Indiana beauty licenses, answered
How many hours do you need for a cosmetology license in Indiana?
1,500 hours of training for a Cosmetologist license. About 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate). Indiana's 1,500 hours are the same as the 1,500 hours of the middle state.
How much does a cosmetology license cost in Indiana?
The state's fees for a first Cosmetologist license are $40, and it renews every 4 years, $40. School tuition is the much larger cost, and testing companies may charge their own exam fees.
How do you renew a cosmetology license in Indiana?
The Cosmetologist license renews every 4 years for $40. The pages we read do not state a continuing education requirement. Renew with the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before the license expires.
How do you get a nail technician license in Indiana?
Indiana calls it a Manicurist license, issued by the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. It takes 450 hours of training, written test and practical demonstration, $40 in state fees. It renews every 4 years, $40.
How do you get an esthetician license in Indiana?
Indiana calls it an Esthetician license, issued by the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. It takes 700 hours of training, written test and practical demonstration, $40 in state fees. It renews every 4 years, $40.
How do you get a barber license in Indiana?
Indiana calls it a Barber license, issued by the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. It takes 1,500 hours of training, written and practical exams, $40 in state fees. It renews every 4 years, $40.
Can you transfer a cosmetology license from another state to Indiana?
By reciprocity: a valid license from another state that imposes substantially equal requirements; otherwise the board may approve education hours plus licensed practice. The fee is $40. Apply with the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.
Do you need a separate license to open a salon in Indiana?
Usually, yes: the business needs its own establishment license on top of each person's license. See what Indiana requires to open a salon, with its fees, inspection and booth rental rules.
Once you are licensed
Working for yourself, or opening a salon
- What Indiana requires to open a salon of your own
- Every step to opening a salon in Indiana, as a checklist
- Commission or booth rent? Compare what you would take home
- Renting a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
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