by our College Data Analytics Team
[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 4 schools to find the best return on investment for student counseling students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in student counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in student counseling, no school beat Marshall University this year. Set in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,162, with out-of-state students paying around $20,342. Typical student debt for student counseling graduates is $25,250. Early-career student counseling graduates make about $47,527. That is a strong return on a $25,250 median debt. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes American Public University System one of the best values for student counseling. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Public University System is a very large private for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $8,400 in tuition and fees. Student Counseling graduates carry a median of $23,438 in student loans. Early-career student counseling graduates make about $57,404. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at West Virginia University earned it the #3 place for student counseling. West Virginia University is a very large public school located in the city of Morgantown. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,104, compared with $28,608 for out-of-state students. Student Counseling graduates carry a median of $23,772 in student loans. Soon after graduation, student counseling degree recipients from West Virginia University generally make around $50,543. That is a strong return on a $23,772 median debt. West Virginia University admits about 89% of applicants.
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.