Cosmetology Puts a Face on Efforts to Curb Job License Barriers

Elle Scheller was a year into her 1,200-hour training to be a master esthetician before she said poor instruction and costly fees piled up. Her tuition—which she paid with loans and financial aid— was $16,000 in total and she’s still on the hook for $5,000 plus interest.

She started a new school—and had to pay through loans for tuition but all her credits wouldn’t transfer— with the hope of finishing by early next year, all to earn a license for her dream job. She feels like it was easy to fall into the trap and build debt for little payoff. ...