About AACS

AACS was founded in 1924 and has a rich history of educating and advancing millions of students into the beauty and wellness industry. We are a national nonprofit association open to all privately owned schools of cosmetology arts and sciences. Our membership includes cosmetology, skin, nail, barbering, and massage schools. AACS currently has more than 250 school owners as members comprising of over 500 schools across the nation.

AACS provides timely updates to members on information and resources about new teaching methods, industry events, and federal regulatory updates. We do this through a series of seminars, conferences and conventions held throughout the year. The greatest value of an AACS membership is the networking and resources provided to our members in addressing problems facing beauty education.

For those schools that participate in Title IV funding, AACS lobbies Congress and the Department of Education aggressively to protect the interests of private career schools. AACS is your representative in Washington, DC.

Core values we believe in:

  • Integrity
  • Being passionate and determined
  • Humanitarian outreach
  • Embracing diversity
  • Members first through empowerment
  • Preserving educational choice
  • Fostering a sense of community
  • Creative learning
  • Changing lives

Big audacious goal

The hair, beauty, and wellness profession will be recognized as a premier career of choice driven by a thriving member school community.