How to Become a Barber in Pennsylvania: Hours, Cost & Schools

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To become a barber in Pennsylvania, you need 1,250 hours of training, earned over at least nine months, and two Pearson VUE exams: a theory test and a hands-on practical. What makes Pennsylvania different is where you can earn those hours: at a barber school, or inside a licensed barber shop under a barber manager or teacher. Expect 10 to 12 months from your first day to your license, and a practical kit built around a reliable clipper like the Wahl 5 Star Cordless Senior.

Three licenses: barber, manager, teacher

The Pennsylvania State Board of Barber Examiners, part of the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, issues three individual licenses (board page):

• Barber: shaving and trimming beards and cutting, shaping, trimming and blending hair. This is your starting license.
• Barber manager: the license you need to run a multi-chair barber shop. It requires one year of licensed work as a barber and a theory exam only (manager snapshot).
• Barber teacher: you must be 18 with a high school diploma, plus five years as a licensed barber or 500 hours as a teacher-trainee.

Each higher license includes the ones below it, so a barber manager can also work as a barber without a separate license. Applications for all three go through the state’s PALS online system.

Route 1: barber school

The board’s barber snapshot calls for 1,250 hours in a licensed barber school under a licensed barber teacher. The board’s requirements sheet adds that hours must be earned over no less than nine months. At 30 to 35 hours a week, full-time students usually finish in nine to eleven months. College Navigator lists the Pennsylvania schools below at 9 to 11 months.

The entry bar is low. The board requires an 8th-grade education or equivalent, and Pearson VUE’s candidate handbook sets the minimum age at 16.

Route 2: training in a barber shop

This is Pennsylvania’s version of an apprenticeship, and it’s a real option. The same 1,250 hours can be earned “in a licensed barber shop under a licensed barber manager or barber teacher.” The board’s shop-training procedures (updated June 2025) set out how it works:

• Register first. The shop files a Barber Student Registration with the board before training starts.
• Report hours quarterly. Hours go into PALS by April 15, July 15, October 15 and January 15.
• Get the affidavit signed. The barber manager or teacher who trained you signs an affidavit confirming your 1,250 hours.
• Use a temporary permit if you need one. You can apply for a nine-month temporary permit to work while you wait to schedule the exam.

Shop training usually costs far less than school tuition, but how good it is depends entirely on your mentor and how busy the shop is. Before you commit a year to a shop, ask how many students it has trained and how they did on the exams. Pennsylvania used to have a separate apprentice license. Barbers licensed before 1976 earned 1,250 student hours, passed an apprentice exam, and then logged another 1,250 apprentice hours. That two-stage system is long gone.

Crossover for cosmetologists

If you already hold a Pennsylvania cosmetology license, the board credits you with 555 hours. You need 695 more hours in a barber school or barber shop, then you take the barber exams (board requirements sheet). Modern Male Barber Academy, covered below, runs a 695-hour crossover that takes about 7.5 months.

The Pearson VUE exams

Pennsylvania uses Pearson VUE, and it’s one of the few states that doesn’t use the national NIC exam (the board says it hasn’t since July 2011). According to Pearson VUE’s Pennsylvania Barber Candidate Handbook (May 2026):

• Theory exam ($63): a general section of 100 scored questions in 120 minutes, plus a Pennsylvania state-law section of 10 scored questions in 15 minutes, with a few unscored pretest items in each.
• Practical exam ($77): 2.5 hours, during which you perform randomly selected barber skills.
• Passing: a scaled score of 75 on each exam. You can take either one first.

For the practical, the handbook lists required equipment: a conventional razor, a first aid kit (adhesive bandages, gauze or cotton wipes, labeled antiseptic and two small baggies), a live model or mannequin, scissors and clippers. You’ll also need a smock or apron, and every supply must be labeled. A live model must be at least 16, can’t be a licensed barber or barber student, and needs at least an inch of hair on top.

Fees and renewal

A first barber license by exam costs $173: a $33 application fee, $63 for the theory exam and $77 for the practical. A barber manager license costs $96 ($33 plus the $63 theory exam). These fees are set in 49 Pa. Code § 3.103. A 2022 amendment phased the application fee up from $10 to $33 by July 1, 2024, and the barber renewal fee from $109 to $184.

Licenses expire on April 30 of even-numbered years, and the board emails renewal notices two to three months ahead (renewal information). Renewal costs $184 for a barber, $260 for a barber manager and $270 for a barber teacher. Pennsylvania has no continuing education requirement for barbers. If you let a license lapse for five years, though, you have to retake the practical exam and pay back fees.

Moving to Pennsylvania

There are three routes for out-of-state barbers:

• Reciprocity: if your state has a reciprocity agreement with Pennsylvania and your license is current, you’re licensed without an exam. The reciprocity fee is $65.
• Endorsement by exam: if your state has no agreement, you can be licensed after taking only the theory exam. You’ll need a certification letter from your home board, with the state seal, verifying at least 1,250 hours earned over at least nine months.
• Act 41 endorsement: this covers licensees from states with substantially equivalent requirements whose licenses are active and in good standing, with no discipline or criminal convictions.

The board doesn’t publish a list of reciprocity states, so ask before you apply. One reciprocity link we can confirm runs the other way: New York grants barber reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees.

What barbers earn in Pennsylvania

BLS’s May 2025 survey put Pennsylvania’s roughly 530 payroll barbers at a median of $17.75 an hour, or $36,920 a year, and a mean of $37,630 (BLS OEWS 39-5011, May 2025). The median and mean are unusually close, which suggests fewer very high payroll earners than in states like Georgia or Texas. Self-employed barbers and shop owners aren’t counted.

Pennsylvania barber schools

Here’s Modern Male Barber Academy from our research list, plus three Title IV schools we checked on College Navigator. Our guide to the best barber schools explains how to compare them.

Modern Male Barber Academy (Lansdale)

Modern Male Barber Academy at 209 W Main St in Lansdale, north of Philadelphia, offers three programs:

• a 1,250-hour Barber program (about 10.5 months);
• a 695-hour Barber Crossover for licensed cosmetologists (about 7.5 months);
• a 1,250-hour Barber Instructor program.

The school’s program page lists a total of about $20,000 for the barber and instructor programs, made up of about $18,800 tuition, about $1,200 for the kit and books, and a $50 registration fee. The crossover costs about $9,500 in total. Note that an older FAQ on its site still shows a lower figure. College Navigator says eligible students may receive Pell Grants and other federal aid, and the school is VA-certified (program page; College Navigator, checked Oct 2026).

Modern Male rates 4.9 on Google (115 reviews, Oct 2026). Graduates, including crossover students, praise the fundamentals, the exam prep and the business and customer-service training. Clinic clients mention cheap cuts with no wait, though slower than a shop.

“I completed the barber crossover program, and I truly couldn’t be happier with my experience.”

— Sally T., Google reviewer, about Jul 2026

“The instructors were not only knowledgeable but also very helpful and attentive, even though the academy was a bit understaffed.”

— Grace A., Google reviewer, about Dec 2025

Other Pennsylvania schools with federal aid

College Navigator’s 2024–25 figures for three more 1,250-hour programs:

School	Length	Tuition and fees
Barber School of Pittsburgh	10 months	about $18,600 (+ about $1,400 books/supplies)
Champ’s Barber School (Lancaster; also Lebanon, York)	11 months	about $18,900 (+ about $1,600 books/supplies)
Lehigh Valley Barber School (Bethlehem)	9 months	about $23,000

All three list Pell Grant and federal loan eligibility on College Navigator (Pittsburgh, Champ’s, Lehigh Valley). Their schedules weren’t checked, so ask admissions about part-time options. Pennsylvania school tuition clusters around $18,000 to $23,000, which is why the shop-training route appeals to many students. Our barber school near me guide covers both paths.

Barber school kit: what students need

Pennsylvania’s practical exam has a defined equipment list (clippers, scissors, a conventional razor, a first aid kit and a model or mannequin), so build your kit around it from day one.

For clippers, the cordless Wahl 5 Star Cordless Senior handles bulk cutting and tapers with power to spare. Many students also carry a lighter Wahl 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless for blending.

A detailer finishes your outline cleanly, and the cordless Wahl 5 Star Cordless Detailer is a favorite for line-ups.

For the scissors requirement, the Equinox Razor Edge 6.5-inch shears are an inexpensive, sharp pair for scissor-over-comb work. The Equinox thinning shears help with texture.

Examiners and inspectors watch sanitation closely. Keep combs and implements in Barbicide Disinfectant Concentrate (16 oz), and wrap each client with a Barber Strong The Barber Cape.

The conventional razor and the first aid kit are best bought from your school’s supply list, so they match what the handbook expects. Prices above are recent Amazon ranges. For a complete starter setup, see our best barber starter kit guide.

FAQ

How many hours do you need to be a barber in Pennsylvania?
1,250 hours, earned over at least nine months, at a licensed barber school or in a licensed barber shop under a barber manager or teacher. Licensed cosmetologists need 695 more hours.

Can you become a barber in Pennsylvania without going to school?
Yes. You can train in a licensed barber shop under a barber manager or barber teacher, as long as the shop registers you with the board before you start and reports your hours every quarter.

How much does a barber license cost in Pennsylvania?
$173 to get licensed by exam ($33 application, $63 theory, $77 practical). Renewal is $184 every two years.

What is a barber manager license in Pennsylvania?
It’s the license you need to operate a multi-chair barber shop. It takes one year of licensed barber experience and a theory exam, and it costs $96.

Do Pennsylvania barbers need continuing education?
No. The board has no CE requirement, but licenses must be renewed by April 30 of every even-numbered year.

Does Pennsylvania have barber reciprocity?
Yes, with states that have an agreement with Pennsylvania. Barbers from other states can be licensed by endorsement after taking the theory exam only.

Licensing rules, fees and hours can change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your state barber board before you enroll or apply.