2026 Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
[Counseling Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/counseling-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong counseling psychology education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools to find the best return on investment for counseling psychology students.
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2026 Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the counseling psychology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools
For return on investment in counseling psychology, no school beat Adams State College this year. Set in the town of Alamosa, Adams State College is a mid-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,824, with out-of-state students paying around $21,944. Counseling Psychology graduates carry a median of $25,523 in student loans. Early-career counseling psychology graduates make about $49,131. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Northern Colorado one of the best values for counseling psychology. Located in the city of Greeley, University Of Northern Colorado is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,901, compared with $26,979 for out-of-state students. Counseling Psychology graduates carry a median of $23,974 in student loans. Soon after graduation, counseling psychology degree recipients from University Of Northern Colorado generally make around $57,034. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Northern Colorado admits about 86% of applicants.
Montana State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in counseling psychology, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Bozeman, Montana State University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,460, while out-of-state students pay about $33,287. Counseling Psychology graduates carry a median of $23,635 in student loans. Counseling Psychology graduates of Montana State University earn a median of $49,929 early in their careers. Set against $23,635 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Great Falls is a great value for students pursuing a degree in counseling psychology, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Great Falls, University Of Great Falls is a small private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $30,448. Typical student debt for counseling psychology graduates is $23,847. Soon after graduation, counseling psychology degree recipients from University Of Great Falls generally make around $104,670. Set against $23,847 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 50% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in counseling psychology will find it at Regis University, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Denver, Regis University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $28,140. Typical student debt for counseling psychology graduates is $31,773. Soon after graduation, counseling psychology degree recipients from Regis University generally make around $49,365. That is a strong return on a $31,773 median debt. Regis University admits about 86% of applicants.
Naropa University landed the #6 spot for counseling psychology value this year. Set in the city of Boulder, Naropa University is a small private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $36,620. Counseling Psychology graduates carry a median of $33,250 in student loans. Counseling Psychology graduates of Naropa University earn a median of $37,793 early in their careers. Set against $33,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 100% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Denver ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value counseling psychology schools. Located in the city of Denver, University Of Denver is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $61,398. Students borrow a median of $22,534 to complete the counseling psychology program here. Counseling Psychology graduates of University Of Denver earn a median of $61,301 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,534 median debt. University Of Denver admits about 78% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 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.
