by our College Data Analytics Team
[Student Counseling](/majors/education/student-counseling/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a student counseling degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the early-career earnings of their student counseling graduates.
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Below are the schools whose student counseling graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in student counseling, no school beat The University Of Tennessee Martin this year. Set in the town of Martin, The University Of Tennessee Martin is a public institution. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from The University Of Tennessee Martin typically earn about $53,033 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in student counseling will find them at University Of Memphis, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Memphis, University Of Memphis is a public institution. Early-career student counseling graduates from University Of Memphis make a median of around $54,679 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga earned it the #3 place for student counseling. The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga is a public school located in the city of Chattanooga. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $51,069.
A rank of #4 makes The University Of Tennessee one of the highest-paying schools for student counseling. Set in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a public institution. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $48,602.
Students chasing top earnings in student counseling will find them at Carson Newman College, which ranked #5. Set in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson Newman College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career student counseling graduates from Carson Newman College make a median of around $45,874 per year.
Tennessee Technological University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying student counseling schools. Tennessee Technological University is a public school located in the town of Cookeville. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from Tennessee Technological University typically earn about $50,438 annually.
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #7 for student counseling graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Harrogate, Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the student counseling program here go on to a median salary of roughly $44,596.
East Tennessee State University placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for student counseling. East Tennessee State University is a public school located in the city of Johnson City. Early-career student counseling graduates from East Tennessee State University make a median of around $42,478 per year.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their student counseling graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 8 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.