How to Become a Cosmetologist in Connecticut

Who can apply

• Connecticut licenses cosmetologists as 'registered hairdresser and cosmetician'.
• School route: you must have completed the 9th grade and at least 1,500 hours of study at an approved school (out-of-state schools count if approved by their state).
• Apprentice route: you must have completed the 8th grade and a Connecticut Department of Labor-approved hairdressing apprenticeship.
• Either way, you must pass a written exam approved by DPH. State law says no criminal history records check is required for this license.

Step by step

1. Complete 1,500 hours at an approved hairdressing/cosmetology school, or a Department of Labor hairdressing apprenticeship.
2. Have your school send the Affidavit of Hours form directly to DPH.
3. Apply online through Connecticut eLicense with a photograph and the $100 fee. Paper applications are not accepted.
4. Register for the Prometric hairdresser licensing exam using the Candidate Information Bulletin from Prometric.
5. Pass the written exam; Prometric sends your scores directly to DPH, which then issues your license.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: C.G.S. 20-252 requires a course of at least 1,500 hours in a school approved under the chapter (or one supervised by the State Board of Education), or an equivalent out-of-state school. The alternative is completing a Connecticut Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship conducted under C.G.S. 31-22m to 31-22u.

Exam: Connecticut requires only a written exam, given by Prometric; the law dropped the practical and oral parts of the exam in 1971. DPH sets the passing score with the board's advice. Scores must be sent directly to DPH. Since 2024, DPH must tell each approved applicant they may be eligible for ADA or other testing accommodations.

What it costs in Connecticut

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Keeping your license

Renewal: Hairdresser and cosmetician licenses are renewed once every two years for $100. DPH may renew a license if the renewal is received within 90 days after it expires. DPH lists no continuing education requirement for hairdressers. A lapsed license can be reinstated for $100; if you have not practiced for 2 to 8 years you must pass the Prometric exam or complete a 135-hour refresher course, and after 8 years both the exam and a 245-hour refresher course.

Good to know in Connecticut

Licensed in another state: You can be licensed without the Connecticut exam if you hold a current hairdresser license from another state, D.C. or a U.S. territory that was issued based on completed education and an exam. Every state where you were ever licensed must send a license verification form. Fee: $100, online only.

No exam in your state: If your other state did not require an exam, you can qualify with at least five years of legal practice there, shown by license verifications, letters from employers, coworkers or clients, and tax returns listing cosmetology as your occupation.

Foreign-trained applicants: DPH has a separate application path for hairdressers trained outside the United States.

Sources

• CT DPH - Hairdresser Licensure (fees)
• CT DPH - Hairdresser Licensure by Examination
• CT DPH - Hairdresser Licensure Based on an Out-of-State License
• CT DPH - Reinstatement of a Lapsed License
• Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 387 (Secs. 20-252, 20-253)