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2026 Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools in the Southwest Region

[Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/clinical-pastoral-counseling-patient-counseling/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling education at a price that pays off.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools in the Southwest Region

2026 Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools in the Southwest Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Schools

1

Houston Baptist University
Houston, TX

$39,430 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,601 Avg Student Debt

$55,933 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling, no school beat Houston Baptist University this year. Located in the city of Houston, Houston Baptist University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $39,430. Students borrow a median of $25,601 to complete the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling program here. Early-career clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling graduates make about $34,087. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 84% of applicants are accepted.

2

Abilene Christian University
Abilene, TX

$44,200 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,772 Avg Student Debt

$55,736 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Abilene Christian University earned it the #2 place for clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling. Abilene Christian University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Abilene. Students from in state pay about $44,200 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $23,772 to complete the clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling program here. Soon after graduation, clinical pastoral counseling/patient counseling degree recipients from Abilene Christian University generally make around $56,463. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 66%.

View All Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.