ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Student Counseling Schools in Alabama

5 Colleges in the United States
$26,709 Avg Student Debt
$49,433 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Student Counseling Badge [Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong student counseling education at a price that pays off.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for student counseling students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/student-counseling/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 16
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 13.11), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Educational Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Educational Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - School Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Grad Cert - School Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "School Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "School Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Child Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.9
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Grad Cert - Child Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.9)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Counseling Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Counseling Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Counseling Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Counseling Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Counseling Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Counseling Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Counseling PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Counseling PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Mental Health Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Grad Cert - Mental Health Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "School Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "School Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "School Psychology (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Child Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Child Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Child Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Child Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Counselor Education (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Counselor Education (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 13
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 13 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 13
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 3 offers with relevance >= 1.0

2026 Best Value Student Counseling Schools in Alabama

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in student counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Student Counseling Schools

1

University Of West Alabama tops our 2026 list of the best value student counseling schools in Alabama. Set in the rural area of Livingston, University Of West Alabama is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,990, with out-of-state students paying around $20,090. Typical student debt for student counseling graduates is $31,894. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from University Of West Alabama generally make around $62,006. Set against $31,894 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of West Alabama admits about 43% of applicants.

2

Auburn University At Montgomery came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value student counseling schools. Located in the city of Montgomery, Auburn University At Montgomery is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,700, compared with $20,668 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $29,746 to complete the student counseling program here. Early-career student counseling graduates make about $44,249. That is a strong return on a $29,746 median debt. The acceptance rate is 92%.

3

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Jacksonville State University earned it the #3 place for student counseling. Set in the suburb of Jacksonville, Jacksonville State University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,894 in tuition and fees, compared with $23,334 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,751 to complete the student counseling program here. Student Counseling graduates of Jacksonville State University earn a median of $58,513 early in their careers. Set against $24,751 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.

4

University Of South Alabama is a great value for students pursuing a degree in student counseling, landing the #4 spot this year. University Of South Alabama is a large public school located in the city of Mobile. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,116, while out-of-state students pay about $19,092. Students borrow a median of $26,513 to complete the student counseling program here. Student Counseling graduates of University Of South Alabama earn a median of $41,205 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of South Alabama admits about 71% of applicants.

5

A rank of #5 makes University Of Montevallo one of the best values for student counseling. Located in the town of Montevallo, University Of Montevallo is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,948, with out-of-state students paying around $26,968. Students borrow a median of $25,096 to complete the student counseling program here. Student Counseling graduates of University Of Montevallo earn a median of $41,035 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,096 median debt. Roughly 54% of applicants are accepted.

ADBLOCK #101
6

University Of Alabama At Birmingham landed the #6 spot for student counseling value this year. Set in the city of Birmingham, University Of Alabama At Birmingham is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,098, compared with $22,562 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for student counseling graduates is $26,162. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from University Of Alabama At Birmingham generally make around $47,610. That is a strong return on a $26,162 median debt. University Of Alabama At Birmingham admits about 88% of applicants.

7
Auburn University crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

Auburn University earned the #7 position for value in student counseling this year. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $12,890 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $34,922. Typical student debt for student counseling graduates is $22,803. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from Auburn University generally make around $46,449. Set against $22,803 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 46%.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Student Counseling Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This list is compiled 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 · 13 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options