Barber Schools and License Requirements in Indiana

Written by Barber-License.com Editorial Staff, Last Updated: November 13, 2026

Barbers in Indiana are licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, which the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) supports. Indiana hasn’t had a separate barber board since 2010, when the old State Board of Barber Examiners was folded into this one. Barber law now sits in the beauty culture article of the Indiana Code (IC 25-8), with the barber license itself in IC 25-8-12.1, and the board’s rules are in Title 820 of the Indiana Administrative Code. If you’re comparing states, see the state-by-state barber licensing guide.

Two recent changes matter if you’re just starting. Since July 1, 2025, a registered barber apprenticeship can qualify you for the license exam instead of barber school, under House Enrolled Act 1320 (2025). And on July 22, 2026, an updated set of board rules took effect that revised school curricula, fees, and sanitation and facility standards. Here’s the path as of November 2026, with what each step costs.

To become a barber in Indiana, follow these steps:

1. Complete 1,500 Hours of Barber School or a Registered Apprenticeship
2. Pass the PSI Written Barber Exam
3. Apply Online for Your Indiana Barber License
4. Begin Your Career as a Licensed Barber
5. Renew Your License Every Four Years

Step 1. Complete 1,500 Hours of Barber School or a Registered Apprenticeship

You must be at least 18 years old, or at least 17 and a graduate of an accredited high school, to qualify for a barber license under IC 25-8-12.1-3. From there, Indiana gives you two ways to train.

The Barber School Route

Indiana licenses barber programs as part of its beauty culture school system, and a school that trains barbers holds a license marked “barber school license.” The 1,500-hour minimum comes from state law, and the board’s rules set how those hours are divided among theory and hands-on subjects. That curriculum was among the rules revised on July 22, 2026, so ask any school you’re considering whether its program follows the current version.

Before you graduate, your school gives you a final practical demonstration exam covering the services a barber license allows, under IC 25-8-4-7. You need at least 75% on both this practical exam and the state’s written exam to be licensed (IC 25-8-4-9).

The Apprenticeship Route

Since July 1, 2025, completing a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program in barbering makes you eligible for the barber exam without the 1,500 school hours (IC 25-8-12.1-3.5). The change came from House Enrolled Act 1320, which Governor Mike Braun signed on April 3, 2025. Your training schedule and hours are set by your registered program, so confirm them with the program sponsor before you start. You can search for registered programs on Apprenticeship.gov. Instead of a school, your apprenticeship program’s sponsor or employer gives you the final practical demonstration exam (IC 25-8-4-7), and you need at least 75% on it, the same as school students. When you apply for your license, you give the PLA your apprentice number and upload your certificate of completion.

Step 2. Pass the PSI Written Barber Exam

Indiana’s written licensing exams are given by PSI. You don’t register with the PLA first. Your education provider sends your information to PSI electronically once you finish your program’s requirements, and PSI emails you to confirm you’re eligible. If you completed a registered apprenticeship, confirm with your program sponsor and PSI how your eligibility will be submitted before you try to schedule. Then you pay for and schedule the exam through PSI’s Indiana scheduling page or by phone at (855) 898-0713.

Here’s what to expect, according to PSI’s Indiana Candidate Information Bulletin (effective May 27, 2025):

• Format: 100 general questions and 10 Indiana law questions, plus 10 unscored experimental questions, in 120 minutes.
• Topics: Rules, regulations, and safety (30%); haircutting and hairstyling (25%); shaving and beard design (15%); hair and scalp structure and care (10%); and chemical services (10%), among others.
• Passing score: 75% correct.
• Fee: $47, paid to PSI. Exam fees aren’t refundable or transferable.
• Languages: English or Spanish.
• Where: PSI testing centers in cities including Anderson, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie, Richmond, South Bend, Terre Haute, and Valparaiso.

You get your score as soon as you finish. If you don’t pass, you receive a diagnostic report and can retest as many times as you need during your one-year eligibility period, paying the fee each time. Indiana law also lets you repeat the exam without any extra barbering study (IC 25-8-12.1-4). If you don’t pass within the year, your education provider has to resubmit your eligibility to PSI.

Step 3. Apply Online for Your Indiana Barber License

Once you’ve passed, apply for a barber license by examination through the PLA’s online licensing portal, MyLicense One. According to the PLA’s cosmetology and barber licensing page, your application includes:

• Fee: $40, paid online by credit or debit card. Fees are nonrefundable.
• Training proof: A Beauty Culture Education Certification form from your school, or your apprentice number and certificate of completion.
• Exam results: Your PSI pass notice.
• Background questions: An explanation and court documents for any “yes” answer.
• Name change documents: If your name differs from your records.

You also have to provide your Social Security number, since the PLA can’t process the application without it. If you don’t submit everything within one year of filing, the PLA treats the application as abandoned.

Licensed in Another State?

You can apply for an Indiana barber license by reciprocity when your current license comes from a state whose requirements are substantially equal to Indiana’s (IC 25-8-4-2). The PLA says that state must also use a passing standard of at least 70% on its written and practical exams. If your state required fewer training hours, the board can count licensed experience toward the gap: one year of licensed practice equals 100 hours of education, as long as you completed at least 1,000 hours of education.

The application fee is $40. Ask the licensing agency that issued your license to send certification of it directly to the PLA at [email protected], because a copy of your license won’t be accepted. If your state doesn’t license barbers at all, the board can issue a provisional license when it finds you have enough training or experience, and you work under the supervision of an Indiana licensed barber until the board releases you from it (IC 25-8-12.1-13).

Step 4. Begin Your Career as a Licensed Barber

Indiana law requires you to display your license in a conspicuous place in your work area, where clients can see it (IC 25-8-4-13). You can practice in a licensed barber shop or salon, either as an employee or by leasing space there, with the shop owner’s permission (IC 25-8-12.1-6).

Opening Your Own Barbershop

A barbershop needs its own license from the board, issued as a beauty culture salon license that’s marked “barber shop license.” Here’s what the PLA lists for shops:

• Fee: $40 to apply and $40 to renew.
• Timing: Don’t apply until the shop is ready to open. The PLA issues a temporary permit, good for three months, once it receives a complete application.
• Supervision: The shop must be under the personal supervision of a licensed beauty culture professional, and no one unlicensed may practice there.
• Mobile shops: Indiana also licenses mobile salons, including mobile barbering, for a $40 fee.

Becoming a Barber Instructor

To teach in a barber program, you need a beauty culture instructor license. The PLA requires you to hold a primary license, such as a barber license, and keep it active for as long as you hold the instructor license. You also need a high school diploma, completion of an instructor course, and a passing score on PSI’s instructor exam. The July 2026 rule update reduced the hours required for the instructor course, so check the PLA’s current requirements before you enroll.

Step 5. Renew Your License Every Four Years

Indiana barber licenses expire on a date the PLA sets and then every four years after that (IC 25-8-4-17). The PLA sends renewal notices about 90 days before your license expires, by email if it has a valid address for you and by mail if it doesn’t. You renew online through MyLicense One, and the renewal fee is $40.

If your license has been expired for more than three years, reinstatement costs $80, and the board may require remediation. Once it has been expired for five years or more, the board requires you to pass the written licensing exam. The PLA sends you an eligibility letter after it receives your reinstatement application, and you have one year from applying to pass.

Barber Salary and Jobs in Indiana

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, barbers in Indiana earned a median annual wage of $33,600 as of May 2025, or $16.15 an hour. Nationally, barbers earned a median of $38,210. The Indiana figure rests on an estimated 370 wage-and-salary barber jobs, and BLS wage estimates leave out self-employed barbers and chair renters, so they describe barbers who work for a shop rather than the whole trade. BLS counts reported tips in its wage data.

For comparison, BLS counted 5,920 hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Indiana, with a median annual wage of $32,830 as of May 2025.

Projections Central estimates a 4% change in barber employment in Indiana between 2024 and 2034, from 1,150 jobs to 1,200, with an average of 130 openings per year. Those projections count self-employed barbers too, which is why the job count is higher than the BLS wage survey’s. For hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, it projects 5.9% growth in Indiana over the same period. Nationally, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects barber employment to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is barber school in Indiana?

Indiana requires at least 1,500 hours of training in a barber program at a licensed beauty culture school. If you train through a U.S. Department of Labor registered barber apprenticeship instead, the program sets your hours and schedule, and finishing it qualifies you for the exam. Either way, you also pass a final practical exam given by your school or apprenticeship sponsor.

Can I become a barber in Indiana through an apprenticeship?

Yes. Since July 1, 2025, completing a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program in barbering makes you eligible for the Indiana barber exam. When you apply for your license, you provide your apprentice number and a copy of your certificate of completion.

What exam do Indiana barbers take?

You take PSI’s written barber exam, which has 100 general questions and 10 Indiana law questions in 120 minutes. You need 75% to pass, and it costs $47. You also pass a final practical exam, given by your barber school or by your apprenticeship program’s sponsor or employer, with the same 75% passing standard.

How much does an Indiana barber license cost?

The PLA charges $40 to apply for a barber license and $40 to renew it every four years. PSI charges $47 for each written exam attempt. Reinstating a license that has been expired for more than three years costs $80.

Can I transfer my barber license to Indiana?

Often, yes. If your state’s requirements are substantially equal to Indiana’s, you can apply by reciprocity for $40, and your licensing agency must send certification of your license directly to the PLA. If your state required fewer training hours, the board can count each year of licensed practice as 100 hours of education, as long as you completed at least 1,000 hours.

• Licensing agency: The State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, supported by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, licenses barbers.
• Training: Complete 1,500 hours at a licensed beauty culture school or a U.S. Department of Labor registered barber apprenticeship.
• Exams: Pass a final practical exam from your school or apprenticeship sponsor and PSI’s written barber exam, each with at least 75%. The written exam costs $47 per attempt.
• Fees: $40 to apply online and $40 to renew.
• Renewal: Every four years, with a notice about 90 days before your license expires.

2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Barbers and for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2026. National job outlook figures (2025-2035) are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.