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

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Learning how to become a barber in Texas starts with one number: 1,000 hours. That is the Class A Barber course the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) requires, followed by a PSI written exam and a practical exam, so most full-time students can be licensed in roughly seven to nine months. Below is every step, the fees TDLR publishes, what Texas barbers earn, and two Dallas-area schools, plus the tools worth owning on day one, starting with a cordless clipper like the Wahl 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless.

Texas barber license steps at a glance

Texas folded its old barber and cosmetology boards into one regulator years ago, and today TDLR runs everything from your student permit to your renewal. The path itself is short and linear: enroll, log hours, test, apply. What trips people up is the order. You can sit the written exam before you finish school, but you cannot apply for the license until both exams are passed.

Step	What happens	Who handles it
1. Enroll	Start a Class A Barber course; you get a student permit	TDLR-licensed school
2. Train	Complete 1,000 hours	School reports hours
3. Written exam	Eligible after 900 hours	PSI, after TDLR approval
4. Practical exam	After all hours and a written pass	PSI
5. Apply	$50 application, age 17+	TDLR

Training hours and the Class A Barber course

TDLR is explicit: before applying for a Class A Barber license, you must complete a Class A Barber course of 1,000 hours of instruction at a barbering or cosmetology school licensed in Texas. While you train, the state issues you a student permit, and your school tracks and reports your hours, so there is no separate hour log to file yourself. You can check your recorded hours through TDLR’s “View Student Permit Hours” tool if you ever want to confirm what the school has submitted.

The 1,000-hour figure puts Texas on the lighter end nationally; several states still require 1,500 hours or more. How long it takes depends on the schedule. A school running 37 or 38 hours a week gets you through in roughly six to seven months of class time; a part-time track can stretch that past a year. Add a few weeks for exam scheduling and license processing and most full-time students are cutting legally in seven to nine months.

Texas does not offer a barber apprenticeship in place of school for the Class A license; TDLR’s application page lists only the school course as the training route. If you trained in another state, TDLR sends you to its separate license-by-equivalence process instead (covered below).

The state’s rules were rewritten after House Bill 1560, which the Legislature passed in 2021. According to TDLR’s summary of HB 1560, the bill eliminated some barber and cosmetology license types and consolidated the barbering and cosmetology laws into a single chapter (Chapter 1603 of the Occupations Code), with TDLR given until September 1, 2023 to implement it. One trace of that change still shows on TDLR’s out-of-state form, which treats barber licenses issued before and after January 1, 2022 differently. If you hold an older Texas license type, check its current scope with TDLR.

The PSI written and practical exams

Texas uses PSI for both exams. Once you hit 900 of your 1,000 hours, your school notifies TDLR that you are eligible for the written exam. After TDLR verifies it, PSI emails you instructions to book a seat. According to PSI’s Texas Class A Barber candidate bulletin, the written test has 85 scored questions in 90 minutes, and you need 70% to pass.

The practical exam comes after you finish all 1,000 hours and pass the written portion; TDLR notifies you when you are eligible. The practical is hands-on: you bring your own supplies and mannequins (PSI’s bulletin says all procedures are performed on mannequins), and PSI is strict that supplies arrive clean, sanitary and labeled. Read the current exam information page and the bulletin it links before you pack your kit, because a missing item can cost you points.

PSI sets its own exam fees, separately from TDLR’s application fee. Its current Class A Barber bulletin lists $55 for the written exam and $76 for the practical exam, both non-refundable; check the bulletin for today’s numbers before you book.

Fees and paperwork

Once you’ve passed both exams, you apply to TDLR, ideally online. The application fee is $50 and non-refundable, you must be at least 17, and a Class A Barber license is valid for two years from the date it’s issued, as stated on TDLR’s Class A Barber page.

If you have ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation), or pleaded guilty or no contest to one, you must include a Criminal History Questionnaire. TDLR reviews convictions case by case and says a review can take one to six weeks. If you’re worried before you even enroll, TDLR offers a Criminal History Evaluation Letter, a pre-application review that uses the same process, so you know where you stand before paying tuition.

Renewal and continuing education

Your license runs for two years. To renew it, TDLR requires 4 hours of department-approved continuing education every two years: one hour in sanitation, one hour in human trafficking awareness, and two hours of your choice from approved topics such as Texas barbering law and rules or mental health awareness. One CE hour equals 50 minutes of instruction.

There’s a break for long-time barbers: if you have held a Texas license for at least 15 years, you need only the two required hours (sanitation and human trafficking). Keep your completion certificates for two years, because TDLR can ask for them during an inspection. Full details are on TDLR’s continuing education page.

Moving to Texas with a license

Licensed in another state? You may be able to get a Texas license using your out-of-state license as proof of your training and experience. TDLR’s license-by-equivalence tool asks where you were licensed, whether that license is active, what type it is, and how many years you have held it, then tells you which route applies. Expect the answer to depend on your home state’s hours and on how long you’ve been licensed. Military members, veterans and military spouses get their own options in the same tool.

What barbers earn in Texas

The federal government’s May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics put Texas barbers at a median of $14.79 an hour, or $30,760 a year, and an average (mean) of $41,630 a year, across about 2,580 barbers on payrolls (BLS OEWS, occupation 39-5011, May 2025). The gap between the median and the mean tells you something real: a group of high earners pulls the average up.

Two caveats matter. OEWS counts payroll employees, so it leaves out self-employed barbers and many booth renters, who are a large share of the trade in Texas cities. And how much of a barber’s tip income ends up in the survey depends on how employers report it. Treat these numbers as a floor for a new barber on commission, not a ceiling for an established chair with a full book.

Barber schools in Texas

TDLR keeps a searchable list of licensed schools; any school you consider should appear there. Two schools from our research list are in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. For a wider look at how to compare programs anywhere, see our guide to the best barber schools.

Graham’s Barber College (Dallas)

Graham’s Barber College at 3016 AL Lipscomb Way in Dallas runs the 1,000-hour Class A Barber program. College Navigator lists 2024–25 tuition and fees of about $10,000, plus about $700 for books and supplies, and says eligible students may receive Pell Grants and other federal aid (the school also publishes its FAFSA code, 043024, and accepts the GI Bill). Its site lists a full-time schedule of Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 4:30, and a part-time schedule of Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 2:30. It is a small school: College Navigator counted 8 students. Sources: College Navigator and the school’s tuition page, checked Oct 2026.

Graham’s rates 4.8 on Google (37 reviews, Oct 2026). Reviewers describe a clean, welcoming shop where cuts are affordable if you’re willing to sit while students work, and they name the owners and instructors warmly. One recent complaint is that nobody answers the phone.

“My instructor Mrs. Emily Madera is outstanding and passionate about her students as well as Mr. E.”

— Mavis D., Google reviewer, about Apr 2026

“They never answer the phone very unprofessional”

— Cherry C., Google reviewer, about Jul 2026

Milan Institute of Cosmetology (Plano)

Milan Institute’s campus at 3033 W. Parker Rd, Suite 205 in Plano lists barbering among its programs, alongside cosmetology, esthetics and nails, and says it is enrolling for 2026 classes. The campus page doesn’t publish a barbering tuition figure, and the program page says only that programs can be completed in “as few as 34 weeks*”. Ask admissions for the total cost and the hours in writing. Milan lists a FAFSA code for its system, but the Plano campus didn’t yet appear on College Navigator when we checked, so confirm federal aid for this location directly (Milan Plano campus page, checked Oct 2026).

The Plano campus rates 4.3 on Google (95 reviews, Oct 2026), but most of those reviews are about cosmetology and esthetics rather than barbering. Students praise their instructors and the career-services help.

“Dionne has been extremely helpful with the support of my career she is very knowledgeable, kind, and offers realistic advice.”

— Holistic S., Google reviewer, about Aug 2026

When you tour any Texas school, ask three things: the total cost including the kit, how many hours a week you’ll actually be on the floor, and how many recent students passed the PSI exams on the first try. If a school won’t give you a straight answer on cost, keep looking. Our barber school near me checklist has more questions to bring.

Barber school kit: what students need

Most Texas schools hand you a starter kit, but students quickly add their own tools, especially once they’re cutting clinic clients every day. A cordless clipper is the first upgrade. The Wahl 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless is the one you’ll see on most school floors: its stagger-tooth blade handles fades and blending, and it runs cordless, which matters when you’re moving around a mannequin for hours.

For line-ups and outlining, the corded Andis T-Outliner (04780) is the long-time standard and costs much less than most cordless trimmers. If you’d rather go cordless for detail work, the Wahl 5 Star Cordless Detailer has the wide T-blade many barbers prefer for crisp edges.

Skin fades and bald finishes need a foil shaver. The Wahl 5 Star Vanish foil shaver is built for heads as well as faces, and a lower-cost option is the StyleCraft Absolute Zero foil shaver.

Don’t overlook the unglamorous items. They’re what the practical exam and your clinic instructors watch most closely. A jar of Barbicide Disinfectant Concentrate (16 oz) keeps combs and shears disinfected between clients, and a can of Andis Cool Care Plus 5-in-1 spray cleans, cools and lubricates blades in one pass.

Add a Barber Strong The Barber Cape that won’t trap hair, and a pair of Equinox Razor Edge 6.5-inch shears for scissor-over-comb work, and you have a kit that will see you through school and into your first chair.

Prices on Amazon move around, so treat the ranges above as a guide. Our barber starter kit guide breaks down full kits at three budgets.

FAQ

How many hours does Texas require for a barber license?
TDLR requires a 1,000-hour Class A Barber course at a school licensed in Texas. You can take the written exam after 900 hours, and the practical exam after you finish all 1,000.

How much does it cost to get a barber license in Texas?
TDLR’s application fee is $50. PSI charges its own written and practical exam fees, listed in its current bulletin. School is the big cost: Graham’s Barber College, for example, lists about $10,000 in tuition and fees plus about $700 for books and supplies (College Navigator, 2024–25).

How long is 1,000 hours of barber school?
About six to seven months at roughly 37 hours a week. Part-time schedules can take a year or more. Leave a few extra weeks for exams and processing.

Do Texas barbers need continuing education to renew?
Yes. Every two years you need 4 hours: one in sanitation, one in human trafficking awareness and two electives. If you’ve held a Texas license for 15 years or more, you only need the two required hours.

Can I transfer my barber license to Texas?
Often, yes. TDLR’s license-by-equivalence process accepts an out-of-state license as proof of training and experience. Whether you qualify depends on your state, your license type and how long you’ve held it, and TDLR’s online tool walks you through it.

Can a barber make $100,000 a year in Texas?
Some do, mainly established owners and barbers with a full book. But that isn’t typical. BLS puts the Texas median at $30,760 and the average at $41,630 (May 2025), and those figures leave out self-employed barbers.

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.