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 4 schools to find where student counseling graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose student counseling graduates go on to earn the most.
American Public University System earned the #1 spot for highest-paid student counseling graduates in West Virginia. Set in the town of Charles Town, American Public University System is a private for-profit institution. Student Counseling graduates of American Public University System earn a median of about $55,311 a year early in their careers.
Shepherd University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in student counseling, landing the #2 spot this year. Shepherd University is a public school located in the rural area of Shepherdstown. Early-career student counseling graduates from Shepherd University make a median of around $51,548 per year.
West Virginia University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying student counseling schools. West Virginia University is a public school located in the city of Morgantown. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from West Virginia University typically earn about $52,053 annually.
A rank of #4 makes Marshall University one of the highest-paying schools for student counseling. Located in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a public institution. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients from Marshall University typically earn about $50,018 annually.
This list is compiled 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 · 4 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.