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

2026 Best Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Schools in California

6 Colleges in the United States
1,132 Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Degrees Awarded
$54,574 Avg Early-Career Salary

Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their substance abuse/addiction counseling programs.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 57 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for substance abuse/addiction counseling students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/substance-abuse-addiction-counseling/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 29
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 51.15), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Addiction Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Grad Cert - Addiction Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Addiction Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Addiction Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Addiction Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Substance Abuse Counseling (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Substance Abuse Counseling (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Psychology - Addictions" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Psychology - Addictions" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
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 "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "General Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "General Psychology (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology EdS Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology EdS Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Psychology PsyD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Psychology PsyD Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Science & Engineering Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BS in Criminal Justice - Substance Abuse" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "BS in Criminal Justice - Substance Abuse" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 12
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 11 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 11
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 6 offers with relevance >= 1.0

Best Schools for Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling in California

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

1

Mt San Antonio College tops our 2026 ranking of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Walnut. Mt San Antonio College awarded about 120 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, substance abuse/addiction counseling degree recipients from Mt San Antonio College generally make around $59,278. Typical student debt for the program is $10,000. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Mt San Antonio College

2
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA

Loma Linda University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. There were roughly 15 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, substance abuse/addiction counseling degree recipients from Loma Linda University generally make around $58,654. Typical student debt for the program is $25,094. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for Loma Linda University

3
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA

A rank of #3 makes Cuesta College one of the top schools for substance abuse/addiction counseling. Set in the rural area of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a large public institution. About 33 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at Cuesta College in the most recent year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from Cuesta College earn around $64,492 in the first couple years of their career. Cuesta College graduates carry a median of $18,958 in student loans. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for Cuesta College

4
Diablo Valley College crest
Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill, CA

Students looking for a strong substance abuse/addiction counseling program will find one at Diablo Valley College, which ranked #4. Diablo Valley College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pleasant Hill. Diablo Valley College awarded about 26 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from Diablo Valley College earn around $27,813 in the first couple years of their career. Diablo Valley College graduates carry a median of $9,205 in student loans. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for Diablo Valley College

5
San Bernardino Valley College crest
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, CA

San Bernardino Valley College is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling, ranking #5. Located in the city of San Bernardino, San Bernardino Valley College is a large public university. There were roughly 26 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at San Bernardino Valley College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, substance abuse/addiction counseling degree recipients from San Bernardino Valley College generally make around $69,642. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete this degree. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for San Bernardino Valley College

6

Fresno City College earned the #6 position for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Fresno City College is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno. There were roughly 33 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at Fresno City College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from Fresno City College earn around $37,470 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $7,234 to complete this degree. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for Fresno City College

7

San Diego City College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. This very large public university is located in the city of San Diego. About 44 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at San Diego City College in the most recent year. Substance Abuse/addiction Counseling graduates of San Diego City College earn a median of $26,218 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $9,514 to complete this degree. Read more about the substance abuse/addiction counseling program at San Diego City College

8
Cypress College crest
Cypress College
Cypress, CA

Cypress College earned the #8 position for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. This very large public university is located in the city of Cypress. Cypress College awarded about 16 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. Read more about the substance abuse/addiction counseling program at Cypress College

9
Oxnard College crest
Oxnard College
Oxnard, CA

Oxnard College landed the #9 spot for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Oxnard College is a large public school located in the city of Oxnard. About 86 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at Oxnard College in the most recent year. More information about a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling from Oxnard College

10

San Joaquin Delta College landed the #10 spot for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Set in the city of Stockton, San Joaquin Delta College is a very large public institution. About 11 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at San Joaquin Delta College in the most recent year. Substance Abuse/addiction Counseling graduates of San Joaquin Delta College earn a median of $65,168 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $6,382 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling from San Joaquin Delta College

11
Palomar College crest
Palomar College
San Marcos, CA

Palomar College placed #11 among the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of San Marcos. About 19 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at Palomar College in the most recent year. More information about a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling from Palomar College

12
Saddleback College crest
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA

Saddleback College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Mission Viejo. There were roughly 20 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at Saddleback College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, substance abuse/addiction counseling degree recipients from Saddleback College generally make around $15,890. Students borrow a median of $5,707 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in substance abuse/addiction counseling from Saddleback College

13
Los Angeles Pierce College crest
Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills, CA

Los Angeles Pierce College placed #13 among the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. Located in the city of Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Pierce College is a very large public university. There were roughly 33 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at Los Angeles Pierce College in the most recent data year. Los Angeles Pierce College graduates carry a median of $12,477 in student loans. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Los Angeles Pierce College

14
East Los Angeles College crest
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA

East Los Angeles College earned the #14 position for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Located in the suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a very large public university. About 138 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at East Los Angeles College in the most recent year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from East Los Angeles College earn around $33,595 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $8,180. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for East Los Angeles College

15
Allan Hancock College crest
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA

Allan Hancock College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. Allan Hancock College is a large public school located in the city of Santa Maria. Allan Hancock College awarded about 94 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Allan Hancock College

16

City College Of San Francisco earned the #16 position for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. City College Of San Francisco is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco. There were roughly 23 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at City College Of San Francisco in the most recent data year. Graduates of the substance abuse/addiction counseling program make about $100,031 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $10,332. Read more about the substance abuse/addiction counseling program at City College Of San Francisco

17
Long Beach City College crest
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA

Long Beach City College came in at #17 for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Long Beach City College is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach. About 35 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at Long Beach City College in the most recent year. Typical student debt for the program is $6,000. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Long Beach City College

18
College Of The Desert crest
College Of The Desert
Palm Desert, CA

College Of The Desert placed #18 among the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. College Of The Desert is a large public school located in the city of Palm Desert. There were roughly 28 substance abuse/addiction counseling students who graduated with this degree at College Of The Desert in the most recent data year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from College Of The Desert earn around $41,295 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $7,826 to complete this degree. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for College Of The Desert

19
Los Angeles City College crest
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles City College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. Set in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College is a very large public institution. Los Angeles City College awarded about 17 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the substance abuse/addiction counseling program make about $83,699 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $10,763. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Los Angeles City College

20

Palo Verde College landed the #20 spot for substance abuse/addiction counseling this year. Located in the rural area of Blythe, Palo Verde College is a moderately-sized public university. Palo Verde College awarded about 154 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees in the most recent data year. See the full substance abuse/addiction counseling program report for Palo Verde College

21

College Of The Redwoods placed #21 among the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. Located in the rural area of Eureka, College Of The Redwoods is a moderately-sized public university. About 16 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at College Of The Redwoods in the most recent year. Students who receive their substance abuse/addiction counseling degree from College Of The Redwoods earn around $98,703 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,000. Get the full substance abuse/addiction counseling details for College Of The Redwoods

22

Intercoast Colleges West Covina ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best substance abuse/addiction counseling schools. Set in the suburb of West Covina, Intercoast Colleges West Covina is a small private for-profit institution. About 145 substance abuse/addiction counseling degrees were awarded at Intercoast Colleges West Covina in the most recent year. Substance Abuse/addiction Counseling graduates of Intercoast Colleges West Covina earn a median of $36,668 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $18,667 to complete this degree. Read more about the substance abuse/addiction counseling program at Intercoast Colleges West Covina

ADBLOCK #173
View All Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 57 schools evaluated.

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