Tarboro, North Carolina
Edgecombe Community College offers a Cosmetology Diploma at its Tarboro campus. The 47-semester-credit plan runs across four terms, including summer. Training combines cosmetology concepts with salon practice in hair design, chemical services, skin care, nail care and salon business.
A separate Career and College Promise (CCP) pathway lets eligible local high-school students begin cosmetology courses while still in school. Its first two terms cover introductory courses; additional courses are required to complete the diploma.
You earn a Cosmetology Diploma by completing the program and the college’s graduation requirements. These include:
The diploma prepares graduates to take the North Carolina State Board cosmetology examination. Completing the program does not itself award a professional license; the Board examination is a separate step.
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Tuition depends on your residency and the credits you take each term: $76 per credit for North Carolina residents or $268 for nonresidents, with tuition capped at 16 credits per term.
For the standard 47-credit, four-term plan, tuition alone would be $3,572 in-state or $12,596 out-of-state if those rates remain unchanged. These figures are not the complete program cost: college fees and additional cosmetology charges are separate.
Qualified high-school students in the CCP pathway do not pay tuition on their eligible college credits. This does not make the adult diploma tuition-free or establish that all other costs are covered.
Available to qualifying students
Eligible diploma students can apply for Federal Pell Grants and other need-based support. Cosmetology uses converted course hours for federal-aid enrollment status, so the award may differ from what your registered credit load suggests.
Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are no longer offered for enrollment beginning fall 2026. Grants, scholarships and other funding have their own eligibility requirements; submitting a FAFSA does not guarantee an award.
Eligibility: Criteria can include financial need, scholastic ability, program, residency and community participation.
Award amounts and requirements vary by scholarship. The 2026–2027 application deadlines have passed.
View application detailsEligibility: For students from qualifying counties who demonstrate financial need.
Curriculum scholarships can provide up to $2,250 annually; this is a maximum, not a guaranteed award.
View application detailsCompetitive support of up to $5,000 over two years, paid in up to four consecutive semester installments; ECC receives two scholarships per academic year.
View application detailsEligibility: Restricted local high-school route through ECPS and NECP; CTE pathway eligibility and waiver rules apply.
Eligible high-school students can take CCP college credits tuition-free; this does not establish that fees, supplies or the remaining adult diploma are free.
View application detailsFor the regular diploma route, provide an official high-school graduation or GED transcript and transcripts for previous college study. Graduates of a regionally accredited four-year college may provide that college transcript instead of a high-school transcript.
The high-school CCP route is restricted to eligible Edgecombe County students through the college’s partnerships with Edgecombe County Public Schools and North East Carolina Preparatory School. CTE pathway eligibility normally uses a 2.8 unweighted GPA or qualifying assessment scores; a principal’s waiver may allow entry below that GPA.
High-school applicants use the separate CCP pathway and its eligibility requirements.