Regina Webb Academy

With a total enrollment of just 23 students, Regina Webb Academy is an intimate, likely cohort-based environment where everyone is in the same program. The school reports a first-year retention rate of 50%, a metric that reflects student satisfaction and the effectiveness of academic support, though this figure indicates half of entering students do not continue. As a small, for-profit trade school, there is no indication of a residential campus, collegiate athletics, Greek life, or traditional student organizations. The 'campus' is a suite in a commercial building on Scottsville Road. The school is subject to the Clery Act, which requires it to publish campus crime statistics, providing some transparency about safety at its facility.

Outcome data is limited but points to the challenges and realities of for-profit trade school completion. The U.S. Department of Education reports a completion rate of approximately 57.14% for published cohorts at Regina Webb Academy. This means a significant portion of students who start the program do not finish it within the expected timeframe. The school's profile on the College Scorecard promises data on typical earnings of graduates, but specific median earnings figures are not provided in the available sources. The ultimate outcome goal for graduates is state licensure and employment in salons, spas, or as independent stylists and estheticians.

Costs are presented as direct program fees rather than annual tuition. The listed expenses are:

• Tuition: $3,000
• Student Kit & Books: $250
• Enrollment Fee: $100

Financial aid is a critical component for most students. The academy is approved to offer financial aid to qualifying students. On average, 75% of students receive grant or scholarship aid, with the average grant amount being $8,318. Notably, 75% of students also take out loans, with the average loan amount reported as $10,306. This indicates that most students finance their education through a mix of grants and debt. Federal grants are the primary source of aid; no students receive state/local or institutional grants according to one source. The school also claims to offer "numerous institutional scholarships" that may be merit-based.

Regina Webb Academy stands out for its utter lack of pretense and extreme specialization. It is not trying to be a college; it is a focused trade school with one job: producing licensed cosmetologists. Its 100% acceptance rateAcceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. and single major make it the antithesis of the selective, liberal arts-focused university. It serves a specific, local population seeking a quick, direct path to a skilled trade, with all the attendant pros (career-focused training, lower upfront cost than a 4-year degree) and cons (high reliance on loans, a 50% retention rate). In the landscape of higher education, it represents the purest form of vocational training—a small, for-profit academy where the classroom likely doubles as a working salon floor, and success is measured by a state board exam and a chair in a local business.