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 programView University of Holy Cross' Bachelor of Science in Social Counseling 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.
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.