2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in Oregon
[Mental Health Counseling/Counselor](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/mental-health-counseling-counselor/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong mental health counseling/counselor education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for mental health counseling/counselor students.
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2026 Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools in Oregon
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in mental health counseling/counselor, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Schools
Southern Oregon University earned the #1 spot for value among mental health counseling/counselor schools in Oregon. Southern Oregon University is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Ashland. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,762, while out-of-state students pay about $31,887. Typical student debt for mental health counseling/counselor graduates is $24,951. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $54,251. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 89%.
Northwest Christian University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in mental health counseling/counselor, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Eugene, Northwest Christian University is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $35,800. Typical student debt for mental health counseling/counselor graduates is $25,735. Mental Health Counseling/counselor graduates of Northwest Christian University earn a median of $62,860 early in their careers. Set against $25,735 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 67%.
A rank of #3 makes Lewis And Clark College one of the best values for mental health counseling/counselor. Lewis And Clark College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Portland. In-state tuition and fees average $64,828. Mental Health Counseling/counselor graduates carry a median of $23,301 in student loans. Early-career mental health counseling/counselor graduates make about $52,558. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Lewis And Clark College admits about 78% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 8 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.
