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Here’s how to become a barber in Massachusetts: finish a 1,000-hour program at a board-licensed barber school, apply to the state for $66, and pass a written theory exam through PSI. There’s no hands-on state exam and no shop-only apprenticeship route, so school is the path, and most full-time students finish in seven to eight months with a kit anchored by a clipper like the Oster Classic 76.
Massachusetts also packs more into its barber license than most states, including color, perms and relaxers. Below is the current path from the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, with its fees, the 1,000-hour curriculum, the transfer rules, pay data and three schools with published details.
Quick answer
- Training: 1,000 hours at a board-licensed barber school, over at least six months
- Cosmetologist credit: up to 500 hours toward the barber program
- Exam: written theory exam through PSI (no practical)
- Application fee: $66
- Renewal: $78 every two years, due December 31 of odd-numbered years
- Board: Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure
Barber school kit picks
- Heavy-duty clipper: Oster Classic 76, about $160–190 · Check Oster Classic 76 Price
- Cordless fade clipper: Wahl Professional 5 Star Cordless Magic Clip, about $135–155 · Check Wahl Magic Clip Cordless Price
- Cordless trimmer: Wahl Professional 5 Star Detailer Li, about $110–130 · Check Wahl Detailer Li Price
- Razor for shave training: Feather Standard Styling Razor Kit, about $50–60 · Check Feather Styling Razor Price
What a Massachusetts barber license covers
The board describes barbers as offering haircuts, styling, shaving, perming, coloring and facial treatments, so a Massachusetts barber license includes chemical work that some states reserve for cosmetologists. That breadth shows up in the required curriculum and in the transfer rules: a barber license from another state that doesn’t cover chemical services isn’t treated as equivalent.
A barbershop is its own license, and the board’s barber regulation (240 CMR 8.02) keeps barbering and cosmetology businesses separate: a barbershop can’t offer cosmetology or call itself a salon unless it’s also licensed as a cosmetology salon with a licensed cosmetologist on staff.
Requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Massachusetts rule |
|---|---|
| Training | 1,000 hours in at least 6 months |
| Cosmetology crossover | Up to 500 hours credit |
| Exam | Written theory exam (PSI) |
| Application fee | $66 |
| Renewal | $78 every 2 years |
| Background check | Notarized CORI form |
| Continuing education | None set for barbers |
Neither the barber licensing rule nor the board’s application pages set a minimum age or a schooling requirement for the barber license itself. Schools set their own entry rules; Monarch School of Cosmetology, for example, admits students 16 and older.
The 1,000-hour barber program
Under 240 CMR 8.01, a barber license requires at least 1,000 clock hours of training at a board-approved barber school, an application with fees, and a passing exam score. The school rule (240 CMR 8.03) says the course can’t be compressed into less than six months, and it fixes how those hours are spent:
| Subject | Hours |
|---|---|
| Hair cutting and styling | 400 |
| Theory | 165 |
| Permanent waving | 90 |
| Cleaning and disinfection | 80 |
| Hair coloring | 75 |
| Shaving | 50 |
| Chemical relaxing | 40 |
| Mustaches and beards | 20 |
| Facials | 20 |
| Shop management | 20 |
| Scalp manipulations and treatments | 15 |
| Shampooing; honing and stropping | 10 each |
| Light therapy | 5 |
Already a cosmetologist? The same rule lets a graduate of a licensed cosmetology school (in Massachusetts or elsewhere) receive up to 500 hours of credit toward the barber course. You still complete the remaining 500 barber hours over at least three months, and you hand the barber school proof of your cosmetology completion when you enroll.
Student apprenticeships and shop jobs
Massachusetts has no route where you learn only in a shop. What it does have are two ways to work in a licensed shop while you’re enrolled, both described on the board’s student apprenticeship and employment page:
- Student apprentice: you’re enrolled in good standing in a board-approved apprentice program at a licensed school, you’ve completed 25 school hours of basic safety, sanitation and shampooing, and you’re registered as an apprentice before performing any services in a shop.
- Shop-employed student: you’re enrolled in a barbering program (but not an apprentice program), registered before you start, and supervised at all times by a qualified licensee. You can’t perform chemical services until you’ve finished all your school hours, and the registration ends 180 days after you complete your program.
You can’t be registered both ways at once. Both registrations need a 2×2 photo, a copy of your ID and a notarized CORI form.
Applying and the PSI exam
Once you’ve finished school, the board’s licensing guide lays out the order: apply through the state’s eLIPSE online system, pay the $66 barber application fee, and wait for board approval. After the application is processed, PSI emails you to schedule the written theory exam. You’ll upload documents (including a Division of Occupational Licensure CORI form) through eLIPSE, and an incomplete application is held for 180 days before it’s treated as abandoned.
The board’s pages describe only a written theory exam for new barbers, with no hands-on practical. PSI collects its own exam fee when you schedule; the board’s pages don’t list it, so check PSI’s Massachusetts candidate information before you book.
Fees
These are the barber-related fees from the board’s application, renewal and transfer pages. Application fees are non-refundable.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Barber application | $66 |
| Barber renewal (2 years) | $78 |
| Transfer, no exam | $225 |
| Transfer, exam required | $130 |
| Barbershop renewal (2 years) | $78 |
| Barber instructor renewal (yearly) | $84 |
Renewal, continuing education and reinstatement
Every individual barber license renews on the same cycle: December 31 of odd-numbered years, for $78, online through eLIPSE. For licenses active now, the next deadline is December 31, 2027. The board’s continuing-education regulation covers electrology only; there’s no CE requirement for barbers.
Let a license lapse for more than three years and it can be reinstated only after you pass a written exam through PSI, and the reinstatement fee is two renewal fees plus the late fee. Shop owners should note a related rule: a shop that moves to a new address files a new application instead of renewing.
Transferring a license to Massachusetts
Massachusetts can license barbers from states with “substantially equivalent” standards (240 CMR 8.01(4)). The board’s transfer page spells out when you skip the exam: you hold a current license in another state, you passed a licensing exam in the U.S., your licenses have never been suspended or revoked, your schooling is substantially equivalent (1,000 hours for barbering), and your license covers the same services. That last point catches many barbers, since a license that doesn’t cover chemical services isn’t equivalent.
You’ll test if you trained through an apprenticeship instead of a school, have fewer than 1,000 school hours, or never held a license. Applications need your out-of-state license, a verification (screenshots of your current state’s lookup are generally accepted), a sealed school transcript, proof you passed an exam and a notarized CORI form. Out-of-country barbers can qualify with a notarized school affidavit or proof of at least two years’ work as a barber, and must pass the exam.
What changed recently
One barber license. Older guides describe a two-step apprentice barber and master barber ladder. The board’s current barber regulation, 240 CMR 8.01 (effective May 31, 2019), lists a single barber license plus instructor licenses, and the board’s renewal schedule lists only “Barber.”
Written-only testing and online filing. The board now describes a written theory exam through PSI for new barbers, and applications, renewals and reinstatements must all go through eLIPSE.
What barbers earn in Massachusetts
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 don’t include a statewide estimate for barbers in Massachusetts. The closest published figure is the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, which takes in part of southeastern Massachusetts: a median of $16.78 an hour ($34,900 a year) and a mean of $41,900. Nationally, the median is $38,210.
OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only, so booth renters and shop owners aren’t counted, and tips are often under-reported. Treat these as a rough guide, not a ceiling.
Barber schools in Massachusetts
Here are three schools with published barber program details, checked in October 2026. Costs are rounded to the nearest $100.
Massachusetts School of Barbering (Quincy)
The Massachusetts School of Barbering, at 58 General James C. McConville Way in Quincy, runs a 1,000-clock-hour barbering program that College Navigator says students finish in seven months on average. College Navigator lists 2024–2025 tuition and fees of about $16,600 plus about $1,300 for books and supplies, and the school is eligible for Pell Grants and federal loans.
Monarch School of Cosmetology (Wilbraham)
In western Massachusetts, Monarch School of Cosmetology at 2701 Boston Road in Wilbraham publishes a 1,000-hour barbering course with a total cost of about $9,000: about $7,200 in tuition plus a kit and textbook of about $1,700, sales tax, and registration and application fees. Schedules are flexible: about 8 months full-time days, 10 months on a shorter day schedule, or 16 months of evenings. Students must be 16 or older, and enrollment starts the first Monday of each month.
Rob Roy Academy (Worcester and Fall River)
Rob Roy Academy offers its 1,000-hour barber program in Worcester (day and evening) and Fall River (days), with most classes starting monthly. Training covers haircutting, clipper cutting, shaving, skin care, texturizing and hair coloring, and licensed Massachusetts cosmetologists get a 500-hour credit. Tuition and schedules are in its state catalog, so request the Massachusetts catalog for current pricing.
To compare these and other programs, see our guide to the best barber schools and how to compare them.
Barber school kit: what students need
Massachusetts schools usually bundle a kit (Monarch’s includes a mannequin, shears, a razor, a blow dryer and perm rods), and because the state exam is written, you’re buying for school and your first chair, not for test day. These are the items students most often add or upgrade.
A heavy-duty clipper. With 400 hours of cutting and styling ahead, the Oster Classic 76 is a durable corded clipper with detachable blades, at about $160–190.
A cordless clipper for fades. The Wahl Professional 5 Star Cordless Magic Clip is a popular blending clipper, at about $135–155.
Check Wahl Magic Clip Cordless Price
A cordless trimmer. For line-ups and beard work (20 required hours on mustaches and beards alone), the Wahl Professional 5 Star Detailer Li runs about $110–130.
A razor for shaving hours. The curriculum requires 50 hours of shaving. The Feather Standard Styling Razor Kit uses replaceable blades and costs about $50–60.
Check Feather Styling Razor Price
Practice shears. The Equinox Professional Razor Edge Barber Scissors are an inexpensive pair for scissor-over-comb practice, at about $12–20.
Check Equinox Barber Scissors Price
Disinfection basics. Cleaning and disinfection is an 80-hour block. A Barbicide Disinfecting Jar (37 oz) for combs and a can of Andis Cool Care Plus 5-in-1 Clipper Spray for clipper blades cover the essentials, at about $25–35 and about $10–15.
Check Andis Cool Care Plus Price
More options by budget are in our best clippers for barber school guide and our list of essential barber tools for beginners.
How to choose a school
Compare full costs. Published totals range from about $9,000 at Monarch to about $17,800 with books at the Massachusetts School of Barbering, per the sources above. Ask what’s in the kit.
Match the schedule to your life. Evening programs at Monarch and Rob Roy’s Worcester campus take longer but let you keep a job.
Ask about student apprenticeships. If you want shop time while you train, ask whether the school runs a board-approved apprentice program.
Use your cosmetology hours. Licensed cosmetologists can cut the program in half with the 500-hour credit.
FAQ
How many hours do you need to be a barber in Massachusetts? 1,000 hours at a board-licensed barber school, completed over at least six months, under 240 CMR 8.01 and 8.03.
Can you become a barber in Massachusetts through an apprenticeship? Not without school. Massachusetts lets enrolled students work in shops as registered student apprentices or shop-employed students, but the 1,000 school hours are still required, and out-of-state barbers who trained through apprenticeships must test.
What exam do Massachusetts barbers take? A written theory exam through PSI. You apply to the board first, and PSI emails you to schedule once your application is processed.
How much is a barber license in Massachusetts? The application fee is $66, renewal is $78 every two years, and PSI charges a separate exam fee.
Can Massachusetts barbers do color and perms? Yes. The board lists perming and coloring among barber services, and the curriculum includes 75 hours of coloring, 90 of permanent waving and 40 of chemical relaxing.
Do Massachusetts barbers need continuing education? No. The board’s continuing education regulation applies to electrologists only.
The bottom line on becoming a barber in Massachusetts
Massachusetts keeps it simple: 1,000 hours of school, a $66 application, a written PSI exam and a $78 renewal every two years, with a license that covers chemical work as well as cuts and shaves. Pick a school that fits your budget and schedule, ask about student apprenticeships, and build your kit around a dependable clipper like the Oster Classic 76. For more on comparing programs, read our guide to choosing a barber school near you.
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.
