---
title: Beauty Trainees in Illinois Can Now Earn a License on Wages Instead of Paying for School
description: House Bill 3460 lets barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians and hair braiders qualify for the Illinois exam through a paid apprenticeship.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-07-28T17:17:42.068Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/illinois-paid-apprenticeship-beauty-license-hb3460
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/illinois-beauty-apprenticeship-law-60895.webp
categories: Career Insights
content_type: News
region: Illinois
publication: Sovereign Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

Anyone who wanted to cut hair, do nails or work as an esthetician in Illinois has until now had one way in: pay for school first, and earn nothing while doing it. From 1 January 2027 there is a second way, and it pays.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 3460 on 26 June 2026. It lets people training for five licensed trades, barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology and hair braiding, qualify for the same state licensing exam by working a paid apprenticeship in a licensed salon or shop instead of enrolling in a school program.

The cost that route removes is substantial. Illinois requires 1,500 hours of instruction for a cosmetology license, and in 2019 that schooling [averaged $17,658](https://www.illinoispolicy.org/lawmakers-pass-bill-creating-apprenticeships-for-beauty-professions/). At Paul Mitchell The School in Chicago, the program starts at $26,331 according to the school's own listing. Before the bill passed, a report cited by supporters found Illinois was one of only five states with no apprenticeship pathway for these trades.

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