Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Application Requirements

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  1. AGE: Cosmetology applicants for licensure by examination must be at least 16 years of age or have received a high school diploma.
  2. EDUCATION: Applicants must complete 1200 school hours in a cosmetology program. Florida cosmetology students must apply for licensure by examination. Please review the application instructions for a full list of requirements.
  3. EXAMINATION: Applicants must complete both portions of the examination within a two-year period from the date of the first attempt of either portion of the exam. If both portions of the examination are not passed within a two year period, the applicant will be required to pass both portions of the examination again. If the applicant fails either portion of the examination on the first attempt, the applicant can submit a reexamination application without any additional signatures from the cosmetology school. Remedial hours may be required with verification by the school. For more information regarding the Cosmetology examination, please review the Cosmetology License Examination Candidate Information Booklet.
  4. HIV/AIDS COURSE: Applicants who completed their education at a Florida school should submit the initial HIV/AIDS course completion certificate received from their school. The HIV/AIDS course must have been completed within two years prior to submitting an application and must be at least four hours long. For more information, please refer to our list of board-approved Initial HIV/AIDS Courses.
  5. GRADUATE CERTIFICATION: A completed Graduate Certification Form from Section III of form COSMO 1 must be submitted with your application.
  6. FEE: Pay the required fee as provided in the application. If applying online, you can pay with a credit card or electronic check. If mailing your application, please include a check payable to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Military veterans, their spouses and Florida National Guard members may be eligible for a fee waiver, fee reimbursement, and/or fee discount. Please visit our DBPR Military Services page for more information.
  7. APPLICATION: Complete the application by clicking on the “Online Services” link or the “Printable Application” link at the bottom of the page.
  8. APPLICATION FEES: The cost to take the licensure exam is $31.50 to Pearsonvue for the Theory Written and Theory Practical and $63.50 to Department of Professional Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

To become a licensed cosmetologist in the State of Florida you must attend a Florida school of cosmetology and successfully complete a minimum of 1200 hours of education. Upon the successful completion of the educational hours, a completed cosmetology examination application should be submitted to the Department along with the applicable fees. Once the examination application has been approved, you will receive written notification from the Department’s examination vendor, Pearson VUE, to schedule a date and time for your written cosmetology examination. After successfully passing both portions of the cosmetology examination, you will be issued a cosmetology license. The website for Pearson VUE is www.pearsonvue.com.