College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Student Counseling Schools in California

30 Colleges in California
2,023 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
$54,037 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in student counseling, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #72 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 30 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Student Counseling Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,023 degrees in student counseling during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Student Counseling School

Best Student Counseling Schools in California Your choice of student counseling school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Student Counseling School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Student Counseling Degree Level

Master's Degrees in Student Counseling

The student counseling school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Student Counseling Schools in California. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Student Counseling in California

The schools below may not offer all types of student counseling degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Student Counseling

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
39.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in student counseling. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 175 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, student counseling degree recipients typically make around $43,485 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in student counseling from University of Southern California

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
5.3% Growth in Graduates

Saint Mary's College of California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in student counseling. SMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Moraga. A Best Colleges rank of #188 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 57 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent year we have data available. Those student counseling students who get their degree from Saint Mary's College of California make $3,421 more than the standard student counseling grad.

More information about a degree in student counseling from Saint Mary’s College of California

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
$51,108 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in student counseling has to check out Loyola Marymount University. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.

There were roughly 55 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year. After graduation, student counseling degree recipients usually earn an average of $51,108 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in student counseling from Loyola Marymount University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$70,696 Median Starting Salary

Fresno Pacific University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in student counseling. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 59th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 27 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at Fresno Pacific in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the student counseling degree program at Fresno Pacific University earn $16,659 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in student counseling from Fresno Pacific University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
18.1% Growth in Graduates

Cal State LA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 84th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 127 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the student counseling degree program at California State University - Los Angeles get $6,375 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in student counseling from California State University - Los Angeles

6

Azusa Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Azusa. A Best Colleges rank of #259 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.More information about a degree in student counseling from Azusa Pacific University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
12.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Thousand Oaks, CLU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 71st out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 63 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at CLU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the student counseling program make about $51,621 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in student counseling from California Lutheran University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
118 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded

Brandman is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Irvine. This university ranks 51st out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 118 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at Brandman in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in student counseling from Brandman University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
9.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of La Verne, ULV is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 94th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 146 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at ULV in the most recent data year. Student Counseling degree recipients from University of La Verne earn a boost of about $3,465 above the average earnings of student counseling graduates.

More information about a degree in student counseling from University of La Verne

10
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Student Counseling Degrees Awarded
$55,273 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means National University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 student counseling students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the student counseling program report average early career wages of $55,273.

More information about a degree in student counseling from National University


 

Best Student Counseling Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Student Counseling Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 142
Oregon 266 174
Nevada 192 36
Alaska 119 13

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Student Counseling has other similar majors worth exploring.

Student Counseling Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Counselor Education/School Counseling & Guidance Services 1,910
College Student Counseling & Personnel Services 103
Other Student Counseling & Personnel Services 10

View All Student Counseling Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 7,601
General Education 7,597
Special Education 3,154
Educational Administration 2,692
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,094
Curriculum & Instruction 614
Instructional Media Design 490
Other Education 435
Teaching English or French 372
Teaching Assistants 247

View All Student Counseling Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options