Best Bachelor's in School Counseling Programs in 2026
All 1 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.1101.
- In-state tuition typically runs from $14,400 to $14,400 a year, with a median near $14,400.
- 0 of 1 ranked programs sit at public universities, and 1 offer an online or hybrid option.
- We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
- 1
University of Holy Cross
50score- 49%Grad rate
- $14,400/yrTuition (in or out of state)
- 74%Admit rate
- 471Undergrads
- 2Grads/yr
- Bachelor of Science in Social Counseling
About the programThe University of Holy Cross's Bachelor of Science in Social Counseling is a 120-credit generalist degree for students drawn to the helping professions who want a broad foundation before specializing. Housed in the Department of Counseling & Behavioral Sciences, the curriculum blends theory with applied, skills-based coursework such as Advanced Interviewing and Counseling and Crisis Intervention, plus a field component that puts students in real helping situations. It is framed as a starting point rather than a licensing credential: the program itself describes it as a first step toward becoming a licensed professional counselor, a role that typically requires a master's degree and supervised clinical work. To smooth that transition, an Early Entry Master's Option lets qualifying students begin the MA in Counseling while still finishing the bachelor's. That makes it a natural fit for students who already picture graduate study ahead. As a bachelor's degree in school counseling, it adds to the bachelor's-level school counseling options in Louisiana.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageIts rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 49%, solid without being a standout. A 74% admission rate makes it moderately selective, neither a gatekeeper nor open enrollment. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $14,400 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.
How we rank
Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other programs in its specialty: graduation rate (50%), selectivity by admission rate (30%), and affordability by in-state tuition (20%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like. A program missing a field gets the neutral median for it, so it is neither rewarded nor punished. Earnings are intentionally excluded: federal per-school earnings are not yet published for education programs, and the field-level salary figure is identical for every school, so ranking on it would be meaningless. To keep the overall list from being dominated by a single state's public-university system, it shows at most 2 programs per state; the value, affordability, graduation-rate, and selectivity pages rank every program without that limit.
- Graduation rate: 50%
- Selectivity (admission rate): 30%
- Affordability (in-state tuition): 20%
How much a bachelor's in School Counseling program costs
Published in-state tuition across the 1 ranked bachelor's programs typically runs from $14,400 to $14,400 a year, with a median near $14,400. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 0 of the 1 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.
Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.
Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your bachelor's in School Counseling
A traditional four-year, on-campus bachelor's is the most common route into teaching, and for good reason: the degree leans on in-person field placements that build to a full term of student teaching. That said, 1 of the 1 ranked programs advertise an online or hybrid option, which can suit paraprofessionals and career-changers already working in schools; the clinical hours still take place in a real classroom near you.
You do not have to start at a four-year school. Many students spend their first two years at a community college, earn an associate's, and transfer in, which trims the cost of the early coursework, and statewide articulation agreements often guarantee the credits apply. If you already hold a bachelor's in another field, you can usually skip a second degree entirely and enter through an alternative-certification program or a master's-with-licensure route built for career-changers.
Whatever the format, the non-negotiable is supervised clinical practice. Every licensure-track program includes a student-teaching placement, and some now pair it with a paid, year-long residency alongside a mentor teacher, an increasingly common model that eases the unpaid-semester crunch traditional student teaching can create.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.
Data sources for our Bachelor's in School Counseling ranking
- Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.