General Questions

Top of Page

The contract agreement you sign with the school is between you and the school. Questions regarding financial aid, student loans etc, are not within the legislative authority of the Board. Please contact your school or your lender for more information.

Basic Cosmetology – 1500 clock hours or 50 credit hours Manicurist/Nail Technician – 600 clock hours or 30 credit hours Facial Operator/Esthetician – 600 clock hours or 30 credit hours Master Instructor – 1000 clock hours or 34 credit hours* Nail Technician Instructor – 1000 clock hours or 34 credit hours* Esthetics Instructor – 1000 clock hours or 34 credit hours* Cosmetician – 600 clock hours or 30 credit hours Hairbraiding Technician – 600 clock hours or 30 credit hours *Must also hold a current cosmetology, manicurist or facialist license to be eligible to register for these courses.

These are two different ways school use to measure progress. Credit is given with a 30 to 1 conversion from clock hours to credit hours.

You must submit proof of at least an eight grade education to be eligible to register for the Basic cosmetology, Manicurist, Facialist, Cosmetician or Hairbraiding Technician courses. You must submit proof of a high school diploma or GED to be eligible to register for any of the Instructor courses.

The Board requires a $5 student registration fee when you register in school

When you complete your course, you and the school are responsible for completing your exam registration form and submitting a $15 registration fee, payable by cashier’s check or money order, within 10 days of course completion.

You may be eligible to be credited with 500 clock hours towards the 1000 hours course completion. Please contact the school of your choice to see if they offer the 500 hour course. They will assist you to find out if you are eligible by submitting proof of work experience from the preceding two years on the prescribed Board forms.

You will need to submit a request in writing for a certification/affidavit of hours which includes your name, address and information regarding you cosmetology education (i.e. where attended school, dates etc.) You will also need to include any names you were registered in school under. Tell us where you would like the certification/affidavit mailed if it is different from your mailing address. You must also include a $10 cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology.

For consideration, the proposed apprentice must submit a letter of hardship explaining why school cannot be attended and why training in school would be a hardship. You must train under the supervision of a currently licensed Master Instructor, Facial Instructor or Nail Technician Instructor (depending on the course you are registering for). The proposed Instructor must also submit a letter to the Board stating they are willing to apprentice you and that the salon meets all the minimum requirements as listed in the Rules, Regulations and Cosmetology Law Book for training. The salon owner, if different from the Instructor, must submit a letter stating they are willing to have an apprenticeship program in their salon. The Board will review the request for apprenticeship letters. If the Director tentatively approves the program, the Inspector will contact the Instructor to set up an interview. If the Director does not approve, you will receive a written response.

No. You are issued two work permits. If you fail the exam and/or fail to appear and are not excused, you will not be issued any further work permits. You cannot work until you have passed the exam and applied for a license.

If you passed your exam less than one year ago, you are still eligible to apply for your license. Please contact the Board for the exact fee due. If it has been over one year, you will be required to complete a specific number of review hours and take both portions of the exam again. Please contact the Board for the specific number of review hours required.

You may be eligible to renew your license up to five years with back fees and penalties. Please contact the Board for your exact total to renew. After five years you shall be required to complete a specific number of review hours before you are eligible to re-register for the exam. Both written and practical parts of the exam are required after you complete the review hours.

You must obtain a certification/affidavit of hours from the State Board where you earned your hours along with a $30 cashier’s check or money order. We will review your certification/affidavit and if you meet the requirements for Oklahoma licensure, you will be mailed a registration for examination.

If you dropped prior to July 1, 2004, you have lost all your previous hours. If you dropped after July 1, 2004, your hours are still good.

You may be eligible for a work permit when the Board receives an exam registration indicating course completion and a $15 exam registration fee. The work permit will be mailed with your notice to appear for exam and instructions. A work permit is not allowed for the Instructor courses.

You must obtain a certification/affidavit of hours from the State Board of Cosmetology in the state in which you obtained your cosmetology hours. You must also include a $30 cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology. You may submit the certification/affidavit and fee with your State Board student registration paperwork from the Oklahoma cosmetology school.

Pre-registration is allowed in the months of March, April and May only. A work permit is not issued until such time as the school submits an affidavit indicating course completion.

Once you complete your course, you never lose your hours. You may register for the exam within one year of course completion. If it has been over one year, you must complete a specific number of review hours in order to be eligible to register for the exam again. Please contact the Board for the number of review hours required.

If you fail to appear for the scheduled exam due to emergency circumstances (which is considered by the Board to be a serious injury, illness, or death in the immediate family) you must notify the Board in writing within five days after the exam date and include documentation of the emergency, i.e. physician’s statement, etc. If you are excused, you will be re-scheduled for the exam (without charge) and your work permit will remain valid. If it is not an emergency, you will be considered a failure to appear. You will be mailed another exam registration and another $15 fee is required.

You have the option to take a computer based test with LaserGrade. To be eligible, you must first submit an exam re-registration and $15 fee to the Board and include a note that you will be taking the written exam at a Lasergrade facility in your area. It is your responsibility to contact Lasergrade to schedule the computer exam – 1-800-211-2754 or www.lasergrade.com. Any fees due to Lasergrade for testing is the student’s responsibility.

You will need to submit a request in writing for a certification/affidavit of records which includes your name, address and information regarding you license (i.e. file number, license type, expiration date etc.) You will also need to include any names you have been licensed under. Tell us where you would like the certification/affidavit mailed if it is different from your mailing address. Some states require that it be mailed directly to them from our office. You must also include a $10 cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology. If you tell us to mail it directly to the State Board, we will mail you a copy of the certification/affidavit verifying that it has been mailed. We will do our best to process your request in a timely manner. It usually takes about one week.

The State Board does our best to process exam registrations and fees in a timely manner. We use regular mail and it usually takes about a week to receive your notice to appear, instructions and work permit. You are welcome to hand deliver your exam registration and fee to the office of the Board. If everything is complete, you will receive a receipt for your fee and a work permit if you are eligible.

Your license will expire the last day of your birthday month with the exception of Owner-only salon licenses which expire the last day of June each year.

You will need to contact the office of the Board for specific information regarding review hours in school and eligibility to re-test and re-apply for current licensure.

You are required to submit completed beauty/nail salon license application forms. Specific instructions and the form are available on this website under the forms section. It is a misdemeanor under Oklahoma law, to operate a salon without a license. Applicants who, for any reason, have opened a salon without applying for a license are subject to a $10 penalty fee, and/or other legal recourse available to the Board.

You are required to submit completed beauty/nail salon license application forms. Additionally, the previous owner must submit a shop clearance form. Specific instructions and the form are available on this website under the forms section. It is a misdemeanor under Oklahoma law, to operate a salon without a license. Applicants who, for any reason, have opened a salon without applying for a license are subject to a $10 penalty fee, and/or other legal recourse available to the Board.

You and the Co-Owner being removed from the license, are required to submit a completed UnderJoint/Change of Ownership Affidavit. Additional information is available on this website under the forms section.

You must provide the Board with a completed change of location affidavit. This form and additional information is available on this website under the forms section.

You must provide the Board with a completed shop clearance form. This form and additional information is available on this website under the forms section.

You must provide the Board with a completed Reciprocity application form and meet the requirements for license. Specific details and instructions are available on this website under the forms section.

A Demonstrator is a person who is not licensed by this state as a Cosmetologist or Instructor and who demonstrates any cosmetic preparation. The person shall be required to obtain the Demonstrator license from the Board before making such demonstrations. The forms and instructions to apply are available on this site under the forms section.

License Fees are as follows: Cosmetologist/Operator $25.00 Advanced Operator $25.00 Facial Operator $25.00 Manicurist $25.00 Master Instructor $30.00 Facial Instructor $30.00 Manicurist Instructor $30.00 Cosmetician $25.00 Hairbraiding Technician $25.00 Demonstrator $20.00 Cosmetology Salon renewal $30.00 Cosmetic Studio renewal $30.00 Nail Salon renewal $30.00 Lost Renewal Application $ 5.00 If your license has expired over two months, an additional $10 penalty fee is due You may renew your license with back penalty and renewal fees for up to five years. If you are still unsure about the total fees due, please contact the office of the Board.

We do not issue a permit to work for reciprocity. It is a violation of Oklahoma Cosmetology Law for any out of state/country licensee to practice cosmetology in Oklahoma prior to obtaining his/her Oklahoma Cosmetology license.

It is a violation of Oklahoma Cosmetology Law for any out of state/country licensee to practice cosmetology in Oklahoma prior to obtaining his/her Oklahoma Cosmetology license. Salon owners are subject to disciplinary action if found to be employing any person without an appropriate license or permit.

Your application and the required documents and fees will be reviewed for acceptability. If complete, your license will be issued in two to three weeks if submitted by mail. If application and fees are submitted at the office of the Board, and determined acceptable, you will be issued a receipt to post in order to work until such time as your license is issued.

If you re-register within one year, only the portion of the exam that you failed is required. After one year, both parts of the exam are required. Both parts of the exam are also required if you have completed review hours in school.

You must submit a written request for a reader for the written exam at the same time you register for the examination. The written request must verify the validity of the disability. Proof documentation may be required. The disability must be defined by the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Every reasonable accommodation will be considered.

If you fail the exam or fail to appear for a scheduled exam, your work permit is void. It will be illegal for you to practice cosmetology until you have re-registered for the exam. In the event you should fail the exam or fail to appear for a scheduled exam a second time, you many not be issued a work permit until you pass the exam.

If you have lost or misplaced your renewal application, it will be necessary for you to print a form from the forms section of the website named lost or misplaced renewal application. You will need to complete the form for each license that you wish to renew and submit it with your required renewal fees. Please add an additional $5 fee to your total due for the lost application. If you cannot print this form, please include a note with your fees with the pertinent information as listed on the form (i.e. name, mailing address, file number, expiration date, license type etc).