by our College Data Analytics Team
[Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a student counseling degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 6 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying student counseling schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send student counseling graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
City University Of Seattle earned the #1 spot for highest-paid student counseling graduates in Washington. Set in the city of Seattle, City University Of Seattle is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $76,265.
Seattle University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in student counseling, landing the #2 spot this year. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle. Early-career student counseling graduates from Seattle University make a median of around $82,379 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in student counseling will find them at Seattle Pacific University, which ranked #3. Seattle Pacific University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle. Student Counseling graduates of Seattle Pacific University earn a median of about $69,340 a year early in their careers.
University Of Puget Sound came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying student counseling schools. Located in the city of Tacoma, University Of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from University Of Puget Sound typically earn about $67,394 annually.
A rank of #5 makes Gonzaga University one of the highest-paying schools for student counseling. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career student counseling graduates from Gonzaga University make a median of around $63,166 per year.
Whitworth University came in at #6 for student counseling graduate earnings this year. Whitworth University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spokane. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $54,775.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries student counseling graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.