REQUIRMENTS TO ENROLL
Must be able to read and speak English on a 10th grade level. We only teach in English. Valid State or Government issued photo ID.  Social Security or ITIN card required if you do NOT have a "Virginia" DMV ID or Driver's License. Age 16 or older on the first class day. No High School Diploma or GED required.

START DATES  
Students can enroll when start dates are posted online. They can review their first few weeks of online study about 60 days before the start of their chosen start date (to then attend their class days here in Palmyra, Virginia).  Classes will have hands on training and testing. 

CLASS SIZE  
We have a limit of 2-4 students per date based on enrollment in the previous class. We want to ensure that each student gets focus on their own individual skill level. Teaching before the 2026 changes showed us that teaching 1 on 1 was very effective. We can no longer offer 1 on 1 training with the 2026 changes so we want to stay as small as possible to ensure each student can continue to learn at their own speed/level and the instructor can have time to work with each student to get a license not just a certificate.

ONLINE STUDY
Students will study online anytime during the week to complete specific hours of assignments each week. Student login and logout online study hours will be recorded. For the 8 week enrollment a minimum of 9 hours of online study must be completed each week. For the 10 week enrollment a minimum of 8 hours of online study must be completed each week. Students are free to work ahead and is recommended to pass tests at the school. Online work is not timed and can be worked on 24/7 to finish assignments before class day.

ATTENDANCE
Students must come to classes at the school to learn salon safety and safe service skills. Students will clock in upon entry and out upon exit of the school to record their clock hours to take our course. For the 8 week program, students will be inside the school a minimum of about 10 hours each week. For the 10 week program, students will be inside the school a minimum of about 8 hours each week. Missed class days/hours must be made up within 7 days of the last class date to complete the course and pass.  If not made up in time, the course can be failed with no refund (just like college).

SUPPLIES
Students can choose to buy a kit here with their course cost or they can get items on their own in a recommendation list.  Items are not specific.  Our kits take the guess work out of what to buy for those new to nails and introduces them to Professional brand names to trust. Our school provides all in-class practical supplies so purchased kits will stay at home with the student (exception to their acrylic nail brush). Students need sanitation, mani, pedi, gel and acrylic supplies at home for practice.  Kits can be picked up on the first day of class to take home (and stay home for practice between classes). 

COURSE STUDY
We would love to teach you everything about nails but it will not happen in this course.  Advanced training, certification or specific training is available after you obtain your license. DPOR's new 2026 regulations require that we only teach specific basic requirements for infection control, salon safety, manicures, pedicures and basic acrylics. We do not teach art, business, study/life skills, advance gel training or do certifications like GelX. Those additional training hours must be pre-approved by DPOR and will add more hours to the state required training to make the course longer than the state minimum 150 hours.  
This school holds one of the highest enrollment-to-licensure ratio rates in the state because "licensure" (not just handing you a certificate) is our main focus. We also want to put safe "Licensed" Nail Techs into the industry. Social media has led nail techs into a world of lawsuits from performing nail services that is outside their scope of practice (the instructor has a passion to help her graduates avoid what she sees in court from working with lawyers for nail service lawsuits across the east coast). 

COMPLETION
Students are graded for responsible attendance, test score averages, online study and in-class work. The final average for those grades must be 80% or higher to pass our course. Failed tests done here can be repeated for $25 on another day. After successful completion, students can be released (and will be prepared) to take the state exams for licensing. 

STATE LICENSING EXAM
Graduates are released to take the state's licensing exam after completion of our course. The $99 per try to pass theory exam is offered to take online or at a testing center on various days in the week based on locations in Richmond, Lynchburg, Fredricksburg, Charlottesville, Chantilly, Harrisonburg, Alexandria or Virginia Beach. The $95 per try practical exam (with supplies) can be taken on a Tuesday morning or afternoon in Richmond, Lynchburg or Virginia Beach. After passing both exams the license fee is $120 (renewed every 2 years with no CEUs).

TRANSFERS
Our school accepts transfers from other schools based on their previous completion and records. Gather your school records or transcripts and contact us for cost details. Students enrolled into any Virginia Nail Technician program before 2026 (that did not finish before March 2026) must now complete a new 2026 approved nail course in order to take the state's licensing exams. 

NOT INCLUDED
We do not provide supplies for students to practice nail services at home (without charging a fee for any nail service until licensed). We will provide service supplies for nail training inside the school. Our cost does not include the cost to take exams for $194. We also do not include the Virginia Nail Technician license fee of $120 after passing both state exams. Also, the supplies to take the exam will cost about $150. 

DISCLOSURES
Notify us of any previous beauty school licenses including denials of beauty field licensures. Also any disciplinary actions including denial of licensure taken by any local, state or national regulatory board. Felonies within the last 10 years will require a police report and a DPOR form filled out. Reach out to the instructor to discretely talk about this.  

FINANCIAL AID
Virginia does not offer financial aid at this time for nail education in Virginia. We do not accept the Military GI but you can check beauty schools in the Northern Virginia, Richmond or Norfolk areas with a higher military population. 
Check back in late 2026 or in 2027 for new nail school aid in the United States (to qualified schools). The minimum is $125 and the maximum $1,260 is based on your SAI. Nail Education was not a tax deductable program or 529 program like cosmetology, barbering, esthetics or college for 2025 enrollees filing in 2026 but a specific amount will be for 2026 filing in 2027 for schools that qualify. Gainful employment regulations in combination with the new regulations for 2026 may close more than half of the Nail Schools for profit in Virginia in 2027.

ADA
ADA accomodations are available for the exam center after completion of the course.
Our school has a ADA space with two way swinging front door, handicapp parking, no stairs/steps, wheelchair accessible bathroom and height adjustable class tables. 

LOCATION
We only have one location in Palmyra, Virginia in 2026.
All of the staff donate their time unpaid here because they have a main career for their income, therefore we are not focused on any profits after low cost maintained operating expenses in running this school. There were changes in 2026 for beauty schools in Virginia so as we evaluate our 2026 enrollment with these changes we have plans to relocate or open another school in the future.  The new 2026 DPOR regulations for beauty schools disrupted our saved funds to open the scholarship school we had planned for Lynchburg, we will reasess that option in 2027. We would be adding a Waxing Course and one day advance workshop training when we find another location.