by our College Data Analytics Team
[Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value student counseling schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in student counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is Rivier College, our #1 best value for student counseling in New Hampshire. Located in the city of Nashua, Rivier College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $39,488. Students borrow a median of $28,917 to complete the student counseling program here. Early-career student counseling graduates make about $48,537. Set against $28,917 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Rivier College admits about 83% of applicants.
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.