2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in California
[Mental Health Counseling/Counselor](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/mental-health-counseling-counselor/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong mental health counseling/counselor education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for mental health counseling/counselor students.
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2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in mental health counseling/counselor, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools
For return on investment in mental health counseling/counselor, no school beat San Francisco State University this year. San Francisco State University is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,846, with out-of-state students paying around $20,446. Students borrow a median of $17,024 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Soon after graduation, mental health counseling/counselor degree recipients from San Francisco State University generally make around $59,756. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in mental health counseling/counselor will find it at University Of Redlands, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Redlands, University Of Redlands is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $60,878. Students borrow a median of $27,175 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $60,273. Set against $27,175 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Redlands admits about 83% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in mental health counseling/counselor will find it at Brandman University Part Of The Chapman University System, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of Aliso Viejo, Brandman University Part Of The Chapman University System is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $12,540. Students borrow a median of $27,471 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Soon after graduation, mental health counseling/counselor degree recipients from Brandman University Part Of The Chapman University System generally make around $65,898. Set against $27,471 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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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 · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
