How Much Should You Spend on a Makeup Certification Online? - QC Makeup Academy

Investing in a professional makeup education is a huge step! Congrats! After deciding you want to attend makeup school, you actually have to choose one. There are so many makeup schools out there. Online and brick-and-mortar schools each offer their own perks depending on the type of learner you are. If you decide to take your education online, you then have the daunting task of finding a school that isn’t a total scam…

How do you know what’s the right price to pay in order to earn a legitimate makeup certification online? Keep reading to find out!

Sometimes it really is too good to be true…

Is the tuition fee almost too low? You may be kicking yourself for even thinking this. After all, who doesn’t love a great deal? But sometimes, you’re not getting a great deal. You’re just getting ripped off!

A school offering a free makeup starter kit alongside their course isn’t a red flag. You do need a wide variety of makeup to complete course assignments! But is the course dirt cheap? If it’s relatively inexpensive and the kit is ridiculously extensive and high-end, it’s a bit suspicious. Your tuition will really be paying for the makeup kit and not toward developing your skills and techniques. Say it with us: good makeup doesn’t mean good education!

Factors that influence costs:

The truth is, we can’t really give you a set price for tuition. We can offer you a range, but your course could be priced higher or lower than this, too. The two main factors affecting the price for online makeup schools are the variety of topics discussed in the course along with the length of the course. Obviously, you can’t expect an absolute basics makeup course that’s under 10 hours of work to cost the same as an advanced techniques course that hovers around 40 hours!

The average comprehensive course should cost you upwards of $1000-$1800 USD. Compared to traditional institutions, this tuition fee is nothing! But in the online world, it may seem like a lot. Luckily, we’ll break this down for you so you can see why it costs what it does! When you pay tuition, you’re receiving…

Lifetime access to updated course materials

This is a major perk of going with virtual education over traditional makeup schools. Good makeup schools will offer unlimited access to your course materials. This means that even after graduation, any updates regarding trends and good practices are readily available to graduates. You won’t have to worry about misplacing or ruining your 10-year old copy of “Makeup Basics 101”. It will all be online and up to date!

online makeup school

Lifetime certification

Shady schools often offer subscription-based makeup education. That means that you have to keep paying a small fee over a regular period to time to access the course and keep your certification. It seems like an attractive option at first, but it all adds up. As soon as you decide you don’t want to pay any more, you can no longer say you’re certified! Even after earning it, you still have to keep paying for it to remain current! This is ridiculous—your education should be yours to keep!

Accredited school

Choose a school that’s accredited. Schools, just like students, have to pay for a third party to review them against certain criteria to say they’ve been industry approved. If your school isn’t accredited, it’s hard to say if you’ve actually acquired correct and adequate training. Chances are, you’re learning incorrect techniques. That won’t fare well when you’re actually trying to book professional clients! Do your research!

Makeup Kit

While low tuition costs coupled with expensive makeup products is cause for doubt, a solid kit and good course preview at a reasonable price is what you need. Most online makeup schools include a makeup kit that has most products and tools you need when you’re starting out. Especially since you’ll work on a variety of different models while you practice your techniques, some free color palettes can go a long way. Some fast-working students can even graduate with extra products to use on professional clients!

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makeup kit essentials

Eligibility for makeup discounts

Many online makeup academies boast about their makeup and beauty brand partnerships. Recognized institutions partner with famous brands to give you steep product discounts to fill your makeup kit. From Urban Decay to Kevyn Aucoin, you could receive up to 40% off all products from these reputable brands!

Professional instructors

You don’t want someone who worked for 6 months on a television set 20 years ago teaching you makeup. In such a dynamic industry, you should want to pay more for professional makeup artists to teach you. When your instructors are experienced innovators in the field, you’ll gain a lot out of your education. You’ll learn all about breaking into the current makeup industry and how to efficiently achieve classic looks with current techniques. And with a celebrity makeup artist mentoring you, you’ll have something to brag about!

Student Support

Having access to support services 7 days a week is important when taking makeup classes online. In a physical classroom, you can ask questions during instruction. Some online institutions don’t have readily available avenues for students to get answers or clarification for problems. When you choose a school with active student support, you can ask questions whenever they come up. They’ll support you with assignments, tuition payment options, and class registration in topics that suit your career goals. Just because it’s online doesn’t mean you won’t get any real interaction!

practice makeup application as much as you want when learning makeup online you'll have support

Business Training

Certain makeup courses have units specifically focused on starting a business, teaching you how to name and register your business, set up your office, do your taxes, write a business plan, and more. Believe us – you don’t actually have to go to business school to learn how to become a small business owner. And you certainly don’t have to pay for additional business training. When you graduate from a makeup school that offers free business training, you’ll be all set to launch a career in beauty!

Got advice you want to offer up-and-coming artists? Leave a comment!

Ouch! Sounds like a lot of money! No worries. Here’s our broke girl’s guide to FREE online makeup training!

Author Celina Feng

More posts by Celina Feng

Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • Marwa says:

    How many hour it takes to learn your program in a day

    • Sarah-Lynn Seguin says:

      Hi Marwa, that’s entirely up to you! 🙂 Each of our courses contains less than 40 hours’ worth of work, and your learning experience is 100% self-paced! From the date you enroll, you have a full two years to complete your program. However, when and how much time you devote to your studies is entirely up to you. We create our courses so they can be built around ANY schedule. 🙂 As a reference, we’ve had many students who’ve said that by devoting 1-2 hours per week on their course work, they were able to graduate in as little as 3-6 months. However, you can absolutely complete your course sooner, if you’re able to spend more hours per week on your studies. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected]!

      All the best,
      The QC Team

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