2026 Best Value Student Counseling Schools in Washington
[Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong student counseling education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for student counseling students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Student Counseling Schools in Washington
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in student counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Student Counseling Schools
For return on investment in student counseling, no school beat Seattle Pacific University this year. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle Pacific University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $40,407 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for student counseling graduates is $25,188. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from Seattle Pacific University generally make around $69,340. Set against $25,188 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in student counseling will find it at Seattle University, which ranked #2. Seattle University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $56,721. Student Counseling graduates carry a median of $22,289 in student loans. Early-career student counseling graduates make about $68,242. Set against $22,289 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Seattle University admits about 77% of applicants.
Gonzaga University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in student counseling, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $55,480. Student Counseling graduates carry a median of $25,188 in student loans. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from Gonzaga University generally make around $51,410. That is a strong return on a $25,188 median debt. The acceptance rate is 82%.
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 · 9 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.
