How to Become a Barber in North Carolina: Hours, Exams & Schools

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If you’re figuring out how to become a barber in North Carolina, know this first: school alone doesn’t get you a full license. North Carolina requires 1,528 hours of barber school, a board exam to become an apprentice, a 12-month apprenticeship and then a second exam. That’s roughly two years from your first day of school, and the board’s practical exam even makes you demonstrate a straight-razor shave on a mannequin, using a razor like the Black Widow Professional shavette with no blade inserted. Here’s every step, checked against the board’s own pages.

Who licenses barbers in North Carolina

Barbers are licensed by the North Carolina Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners in Raleigh (barbers@nc.gov, 919-814-0640). The board took that name when the barber and electrolysis boards merged on January 1, 2023, under Session Law 2022-72, which moved the barber law into Chapter 86B of the General Statutes. The full license is now called a “licensed barber.” The board explains the naming:

“Note: ‘licensed barber’ used to be called ‘registered barber.’ Some people also refer to it as ‘master barber.’ All the terms refer to the same license type.”

NC Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners, Barber exam instructions

Stage	What it takes	Source
School	1,528 hours	G.S. 86B-23
Apprentice license	Written + practical exam, 70%+ each	21 NCAC 06J
Apprenticeship	12 months under a licensed barber	G.S. 86B-40
Licensed barber	Clinical exam, 70%+	21 NCAC 06K
Renewal	Annually by May 31	G.S. 86B-34

Checked October 2026. Confirm with the board before you apply.

Step 1: Finish 1,528 hours of barber school

North Carolina’s 1,528-hour requirement is one of the higher ones in the country, and the board’s rule breaks it down by subject. Supervised practice includes 250 hours of tapered haircutting, 400 hours of styling men’s and women’s hair, 50 hours of shaving, 55 hours of shampooing and scalp treatments, and 90 hours of color and chemical work. Classroom time covers sanitation (50 hours), shop management (70 hours) and licensing laws and history (20 hours). Schools can deliver up to 576 of the hours online, no more than 380 of them classroom hours, under a rule amended in 2021.

You’ll need a $25 student permit while you train. State rules don’t set a minimum age for barbers that we could find, and they require a high school diploma or equivalent only where a school wants federal financial aid authorization. Under that rule, schools that take federal aid must require a diploma or GED, and some others ask for one too, so check before you apply.

There’s no apprenticeship-only route in North Carolina. The apprenticeship comes after school, not instead of it. The statute also doesn’t give licensed cosmetologists any hour credit toward barbering. Cosmetologists licensed by the cosmetic art board who work in licensed shops are exempt from the barber law, so ask the board how that applies to your situation.

Step 2: Pass the apprentice exam

Unlike most states, North Carolina runs its own barber exams instead of using a national vendor. The apprentice exam instructions describe a 90-minute written test: 10 questions on North Carolina rules (15 minutes), then 110 on “all aspects of barbering and hair styling” (75 minutes). The practical is done on a male mannequin and covers a tapered neckline haircut, a shave, sanitation, preparing the model and proper tool use. You need at least 70 on each portion.

“Please note that as of March 2023, we have resumed the shave portion of the test, and you will have to demonstrate a shave on a mannequin.”

NCBBEE, Exam instructions for written and practical examinations

The board’s supply list is specific. You’ll need a barber smock or jacket (no aprons), closed-toe shoes, a male mannequin with uncut hair (at least 2 inches on the crown if curly or 3 inches if straight, and 4 is recommended), a clamp or stand, shaving cream, a straight razor with no blade inserted, a hair cloth, gloves, antiseptic and styptic powder. Identifying the 14 shaving areas of the face and draping alone is worth 30 points. If you fail one part, you retake only that part. Since February 2026, exam notices aren’t mailed; you check the board’s online exam portal.

School graduates who’ve applied for the exam can get a temporary permit to work under a licensed barber at a named shop while they wait. The board issues no more than two, and the permit is void after two failed apprentice exams.

Step 3: Work a 12-month apprenticeship

With the apprentice license ($50), you work at least 12 months under a licensed barber, who signs an affidavit when you’re done. The statute is strict about supervision:

“The licensed barber shall remain present on the premises of the barbershop at all times while the apprentice is working. No apprentice shall operate a barbershop.”

N.C. Gen. Stat. 86B-40(b)

Don’t drag your feet. An apprentice can’t practice for more than three years without retaking and passing the exam.

Step 4: Pass the licensed barber exam

After the apprenticeship you take a clinical (practical) exam, and 70% passes. Then you hold the full “licensed barber” credential, which lets you work without supervision and qualifies you to supervise apprentices yourself.

North Carolina barber fees

North Carolina’s fees are low. The board’s fee page lists:

Fee	Amount	When
Student permit	$25	During school
Apprentice exams	$85 each (written, practical)	After school
Apprentice license	$50	After passing
Licensed barber exam	$85	After apprenticeship
Licensed barber license	$50	After passing
Annual renewal	$50	By May 31
Reciprocity license	$120	Out-of-state barbers

Source: NCBBEE fee page, checked October 2026. Late restoration fees run $35 to $70.

From student permit to full license, board fees total about $380. School tuition is the big cost; see the schools section below.

Renewal and continuing education

Every barber license expires on May 31 and must be renewed each year, or it’s automatically suspended. A license expired for more than five years means retaking the clinical exam, though not another apprenticeship. We found no continuing-education requirement for barbers in the statute; its CE section covers electrology and laser hair removal practitioners.

Moving to North Carolina with a barber license

Under G.S. 86B-28, the board can license an out-of-state barber without an exam if you’re an active practitioner in good standing, have practiced at least one of the last five years, hold a valid license and come from a state whose requirements are “the substantive equivalent” of North Carolina’s. With five or more years of experience, the board can waive some of those conditions if you pass an exam on North Carolina barbering and sanitation. A temporary work permit is available while your application is pending, and the reciprocity license is $120. The board’s how-to guides tell out-of-state barbers to contact the office directly, so start there.

What changed recently

• Merged board (January 1, 2023). Barber and electrolysis regulation combined, and “registered barber” became “licensed barber.”
• Shave back on the practical (March 2023).
• Online hour reporting (August 2023). Schools now report student hours online.
• Portal-only exam notices (February 2026).
• Proposed penalties (August 2026). The board proposed higher civil penalties for unlicensed practice. That proposal isn’t final yet.

What barbers earn in North Carolina

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ OEWS survey (May 2025) puts North Carolina’s median barber wage at $31,050 a year ($14.93 an hour). The mean is much higher at $47,710, because the top earners pull the average up; BLS’s 90th percentile for the state is about $90,270. The national median is $38,210. These figures cover only about 330 wage-and-salary barbers. Self-employed barbers and booth renters, who make up much of the trade, aren’t counted.

Barber schools in North Carolina

North Carolina has many private barber schools. Each of the five below lists the 1,528-hour barbering program on College Navigator and is eligible for Pell Grants and federal loans. Facts come from each school’s site and Navigator. Our best barber schools guide covers how to compare them.

Winston Salem Barber School (Winston-Salem and Greensboro)

Winston Salem Barber School teaches its barber/stylist program in 1,528 hours, or 44 weeks. Its tuition page lists full-time tuition of about $17,200, plus a $950 basic kit, $325 for the textbook and workbook, a $285 administrative fee, $170 in state exam fees, a $38 smock and the $25 student permit, for a total of about $19,000 (checked October 2026). A payment plan is available, and the school has a Greensboro satellite.

No Grease Barber School (Charlotte)

No Grease says program lengths run 12 to 18 months for the 1,528 hours. Its admissions page lists full-time hours of Tuesday–Friday 9 to 5 plus Saturday 9 to 1, and a part-time track of Tuesday–Friday 9 to 1 plus Saturday mornings. The site doesn’t publish tuition, but College Navigator lists about $18,300 in tuition and fees for 2024–25, plus about $1,000 in books and supplies.

Bull City Durham Beauty and Barber College (Durham)

Bull City’s barbering page describes a full-time program of 13 months at 30 hours a week and a part-time program of 18 months at 20 hours a week. The enrollment kit includes the Milady textbook and workbook plus clippers and shears. Navigator lists tuition and fees of about $18,500 for 2024–25.

Beyond Measure Barbering Institute (Mebane)

Beyond Measure’s program page is unusually clear about cost: tuition of about $18,500 plus $1,500 for books and supplies, for a total of about $19,900. It offers three-quarter-time (14 months), part-time (15 months) and extended part-time (24 months) schedules.

One Stop Academy (Fayetteville)

One Stop Academy starts new students on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Its tuition isn’t listed as readable text on the site, but College Navigator shows about $19,900 in tuition and fees for 2024–25 for a 12-month, 1,528-hour program.

Comparing campuses near you? Our barber school near me guide lists the questions to ask on a tour.

Barber school kit: what students need

North Carolina’s apprentice practical tells you what to buy: tools for a tapered neckline haircut, a straight razor, a hair cloth and sanitation supplies. Schools typically include a basic kit (Winston Salem’s is $950), so think of this list as the upgrades students most often add.

A taper clipper

The practical opens with a tapered neckline haircut, and the Andis 01815 Master Adjustable Blade clipper is a long-time barbershop standard for tapering. Its adjustable blade runs from close to bulk with a lever. If you’d rather go cordless for clinic days, the Wahl Professional 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless is the usual alternative.

A straight razor you can test with

The board requires a straight razor with no blade inserted, so a razor with a removable blade is the practical choice. The Black Widow Professional shavette takes single-edge blades you pop out for the exam and replace for real shaves during your apprenticeship.

A hair cloth and neckline tools

Draping counts toward that 30-point shave section. A Barber Strong The Barber Cape gives you a proper hair cloth, and the Andis 04780 T-Outliner cleans up the neckline after the taper.

Sanitation supplies

Sanitation is scored on the practical. A Barbicide Disinfecting Jar (37 oz) and a pint of Barbicide Disinfectant Concentrate (16 oz) cover combs and implements at your station.

Add a Diane 5″ neck duster for clearing hair from the neck. For more budget picks, see our barber starter kit guide.

Is North Carolina worth the longer path?

North Carolina takes longer than most states. Plan on about two years from enrollment to full license, and private-school tuition with fees runs about $19,000–$20,000 at the schools above. The upside is that you earn during the apprenticeship, the board’s fees are among the lowest anywhere, and you finish with real shop experience. Practice the 14 shaving areas and your taper on a mannequin well before exam day. A Andis 01815 Master Adjustable Blade clipper and a blade-removable Black Widow Professional shavette will see you through school, the apprentice exam and beyond.

FAQ

How many hours do you need for barber school in North Carolina? 1,528 hours, followed by a 12-month apprenticeship. Up to 576 of those hours can be online.

How long does it take to become a licensed barber in North Carolina? About 11 to 13 months of full-time school (longer part-time), then at least 12 months as an apprentice, plus exam scheduling. Roughly two years in all.

Who gives the North Carolina barber exam? The NC Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners runs its own written and practical exams. Its exam pages don’t name an outside testing vendor. You need 70% on each portion.

What do I need for the NC barber practical exam? A male mannequin with uncut hair, a clamp or stand, clipper and haircut tools, a straight razor with no blade, shaving cream, a hair cloth, gloves, antiseptic and styptic powder, plus a smock and closed-toe shoes.

Do North Carolina barbers need continuing education? We found no CE requirement for barbers in the barber statute. You renew every year by May 31 for $50.

Can I transfer an out-of-state barber license to North Carolina? Often, yes. You need at least one year of practice in the last five, good standing and equivalent requirements, or five years of experience plus a state exam. The reciprocity fee is $120.

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.