How to get a Cosmetologist license in Delaware

Delaware cosmetologist licenses

Delaware issues 3 cosmetologist credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for several of the Delaware cosmetologist licenses on this page, so they are shown once here, with the licenses they apply to. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

1. Every license level (all 3)

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Required²⁵

Background check

Background check required²
Applicants must not have a conviction for a crime substantially related to cosmetology (the list is in Rule 18.0) and must not have a pending related charge. The Board may grant a waiver after a hearing or review. If you have a record, the authorities must send details straight to the Board.²

Social Security number

Give your US Social Security Number if you have one. If you have never had one, you attest to that online.⁸

From another state

Military service members, veterans and spouses: Service members and their spouses moving to Delaware on military orders can get a Military Registration through DELPROS under the federal SCRA license-portability rule. It lasts for the length of the orders.⁹

2. Every license level except Cosmetologist Apprentice (apprentice permit / apprenticeship license)

How to apply

Apply online

smttest.com³

3. Every license level except Cosmetologist

Requirements

Exam

Not required⁵⁶

Fees

Who needs a Cosmetologist license

Cosmetology for pay: cleaning, styling, cutting, perming, chemical coloring, bleaching and straightening of hair; lash extensions and tinting; temporary hair removal; nail technology; and massage or beautifying of the scalp, face, arms, hands or upper body.²

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Permanent make-up is body art, not cosmetology. It needs a Division of Public Health permit.⁸
• Applying eyelashes or eyelash extensions needs a cosmetologist or aesthetician license.⁸

Requirements for a Cosmetologist license

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

Education or training

At least 1,500 classroom hours²
At least 1,500 classroom hours of continuous training in a complete cosmetology course. A classroom hour is 50 minutes of each 60-minute hour, and training may not exceed 40 hours a week.²
Who may teach it: Training must be at a cosmetology school licensed by the Board. Schools must follow the Milady or Pivot Point curriculum, or one the Board deems substantially equivalent. If you trained outside the US, you need a credential evaluation.⁷
Alternative: Apprenticeship instead of school: 3,000 hours with a licensed cosmetologist, at no more than 40 hours a week.²
Alternative: Combined route: up to 1,800 apprentice hours can transfer to a 1,500-hour school program at 2 apprentice hours per transfer hour, with at least 600 hours at school. DPR notes no NACCAS-approved 600-hour course is currently available.⁸
Alternative: Credit for earlier nail technician or aesthetician training: up to 125 nail-school hours or 250 aesthetics-school hours can count toward the 1,500-hour course.⁷

Exam

NIC Cosmetology Theory Exam and Cosmetology Practical Exam³
Given by: Prometric (National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology, NIC, exams). Scheduling is through IQT testing.³
When you can take it: Apply to Prometric for the exam after finishing your education. Your high school transcript must be mailed from your school straight to Prometric, and Prometric approves you for testing.³
Written theory exam (NIC Cosmetology Theory).³
Practical exam: NIC Cosmetology Practical core domains sections 1 to 10, section 14 (Basic Facial) and section 18 (Manicure and Polish application). It is held at the Hilton Wilmington Christiana, Newark.³
Time limit: Temporary-permit holders must pass both exams within 2 years of applying.³

Also required

No pending disciplinary proceedings or unresolved complaints in any jurisdiction where you have been licensed.²

Also required

Optional shaving certification: complete a 35-hour shaving course from a licensed barbering instructor, then file a Service Request ($55).²

How much a Cosmetologist license costs

You pay Prometric / IQT testing (exam reschedule fee) and the Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (5 fees).

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Finish 1,500 classroom hours at a Board-licensed cosmetology school (or 3,000 apprenticeship hours).²
2. Create a login on the Prometric/SMT Candidate Management System and submit the Delaware Cosmetology and Barbering exam application. Have your high school send your transcript to Prometric (c/o NIC Delaware Cosmetology Processing, Middle River, MD).³
3. When Prometric emails your Authorization to Test, schedule and pay for the theory and practical exams on IQT testing. Do not register on IQT testing before you get the ATT.³
4. Pass the NIC Cosmetology Theory exam and the Delaware Cosmetology Practical exam.³
5. Get a Division of Revenue business license if required. The Board then issues your license.²

Temporary or provisional license

A temporary permit ($40) lets an exam applicant work under a licensed cosmetologist's supervision until they pass.⁷

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 2 years²

When it expires

Cosmetologist licenses expire on October 31 of each even-numbered year. Renew online in DELPROS after the email notice.¹¹

If it expires

You may file a late renewal (renewal fee plus late fee) up to 5 years after expiry, but you may not work until the license is active again. There is no grace period.¹¹
After 5 years expired, you must reinstate: apply in DELPROS ($128) and pass the practical exam again.²
If you were licensed in Delaware over 5 years ago and now hold a current license elsewhere with at least one continuous year of practice in the past five, you reapply by reciprocity instead.¹¹

Renew online

delpros.delaware.gov⁴

Moving to Delaware with a license from another state

These are the routes the Board of Cosmetology and Barbering publishes for the Cosmetologist license. The other cosmetologist licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Cosmetologist Apprentice license

An apprentice learns cosmetology from a licensed cosmetologist and may perform or help with any service that practitioner is licensed to do. Clients must be told the work is done by an apprentice.²

Requirements

Education or training

No schooling is needed to start. You need 10th-grade-equivalent education, and the apprenticeship replaces cosmetology school.⁵
Alternative: Up to 250 nail technician apprentice hours or 500 aesthetician apprentice hours can transfer to the 3,000-hour cosmetology apprenticeship.⁷

Experience

At least 3,000 hours of on-the-job training²
3,000 apprenticeship hours under a licensed cosmetologist, at no more than 40 hours a week, completed in 18 to 36 months.⁷

Also required

Every 3 months, upload a signed log of your hours to DELPROS.⁵

Also required

The shop owner must send quarterly hour reports by April 15, July 15, October 15 and January 15.²

Also required

If your apprentice teacher or shop changes, file a new application within 30 days. Otherwise hours after the change do not count.⁷

Also required

A shop owner cannot be an apprentice in their own shop.⁵

Other requirements and options

Hours count only after the apprenticeship license is issued, and only in a licensed shop (not a mobile salon).⁷

How to apply

1. Find an apprentice teacher (a licensed cosmetologist) at a shop that holds a current Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment license.⁵
2. Create a DELPROS account and apply ($40). Upload proof of 10th-grade education and the shop/salon form signed by the shop owner and apprentice teacher.⁵
3. After the license is issued, log your hours and upload the log every 3 months.⁵
4. When the 3,000 hours are done, your teacher submits the Apprentice Training Transcript and the apprenticeship license closes. Then apply to Prometric for the exams (a temporary permit may be available).⁵

Apply online

delpros.delaware.gov⁴

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 3 under Applies to every license level.

Cosmetologist Temporary Permit

Lets an eligible exam applicant practice cosmetology under the supervision of a licensed cosmetologist or cosmetology instructor until they pass the exams.⁷

Requirements

Education or training

At least 1,500 classroom hours²

The board's words

“a minimum of 1,500 classroom hours of continuous training for a complete course in cosmetology.”

Experience

Supervision: Work under a licensed cosmetologist or cosmetology instructor.⁷

How to apply

1. Ask for the temporary permit from Prometric when you apply for the exam.³
2. If you fail, register for the next exam date and file a Service Request in DELPROS to extend the permit.³

Temporary or provisional license

It is valid for 30 days after the next available exam date.⁷

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1, group 2 and group 3 under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

Cosmetologist Apprentice (apprentice permit / apprenticeship license)The professional license comes from the state Board. Before it is issued you must get a Division of Revenue business license if one is required. Each shop or salon also needs its own Board establishment license on top of the Division of Revenue business license.⁸

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a cosmetologist in Delaware, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Delaware is on the Delaware license lookup page.

Look up a license

delpros.delaware.gov⁹

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• 24 Del. C. §§ 5101-5122
• 24 DE Admin. Code 5100
• 24 Del. C. §§ 5140-5155 (Cosmetology Licensure Compact)

Rule changes since January 2024

• August 1, 2024: NIC exams moved to the 2022 versions of the theory and practical exams.³
• May 1, 2024: Board rules amended (27 DE Reg. 888), adding the temporary instructor permit, provisional pathway.⁷

Common questions

Cosmetologist licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
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• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming