by our College Data Analytics Team
[Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a student counseling degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find where student counseling graduates earn the most.
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.
For graduate earnings in student counseling, no school beat Spalding University this year. Spalding University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Louisville. Early-career student counseling graduates from Spalding University make a median of around $56,331 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in student counseling will find them at University Of The Cumberlands, which ranked #2. Located in the town of Williamsburg, University Of The Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $55,999.
University Of Louisville produces some of the highest-paid graduates in student counseling, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Louisville, University Of Louisville is a public institution. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,205.
Morehead State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in student counseling, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public institution. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from Morehead State University typically earn about $51,730 annually.
A rank of #5 makes Eastern Kentucky University one of the highest-paying schools for student counseling. Located in the town of Richmond, Eastern Kentucky University is a public institution. Student Counseling graduates of Eastern Kentucky University earn a median of about $51,741 a year early in their careers.
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 · 5 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.