2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in Virginia
[Mental Health Counseling/Counselor](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/mental-health-counseling-counselor/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong mental health counseling/counselor education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 8 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value mental health counseling/counselor schools.
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2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in Virginia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the mental health counseling/counselor degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools
Our analysis ranked Regent University the best value for a degree in mental health counseling/counselor in Virginia. Regent University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,650. Typical student debt for mental health counseling/counselor graduates is $29,451. Soon after graduation, mental health counseling/counselor degree recipients from Regent University generally make around $41,047. That is a strong return on a $29,451 median debt. Roughly 38% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Bluefield College earned it the #2 place for mental health counseling/counselor. Located in the town of Bluefield, Bluefield College is a small private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $26,770. Students borrow a median of $24,780 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $49,380. That is a strong return on a $24,780 median debt. The acceptance rate is 59%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Eastern Mennonite University earned it the #3 place for mental health counseling/counselor. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite University is a small private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $43,920. Students borrow a median of $25,415 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $44,202. That is a strong return on a $25,415 median debt. The acceptance rate is 100%.
A rank of #4 makes South Universityvirginia Beach one of the best values for mental health counseling/counselor. South Universityvirginia Beach is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $17,895. Students borrow a median of $48,920 to complete the mental health counseling/counselor program here. Soon after graduation, mental health counseling/counselor degree recipients from South Universityvirginia Beach generally make around $41,585. That is a strong return on a $48,920 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in mental health counseling/counselor will find it at Marymount University, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Arlington, Marymount University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $40,120. Mental Health Counseling/counselor graduates carry a median of $26,880 in student loans. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $55,202. That is a strong return on a $26,880 median debt. The acceptance rate is 93%.
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Notes and References
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 · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
