Best Online Counseling Programs in Brentwood, CA (2026)

Brentwood, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Brentwood has a population of about 64,609. Median household income is $139,567 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 38.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $94,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Counseling Schools to Brentwood

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Brentwood, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Brentwood city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Brentwood. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 22.3 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 72.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,812
Avg net price $30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of the Pacific

Stockton, CA 22.3 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 75.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,445
Avg net price $25,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 26.7 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 79.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA 30.9 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 99.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $143,238
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA 38.4 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 62.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,434
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

California Institute of Integral Studies

San Francisco, CA 39.6 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 68.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,848
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 41.3 miles from Brentwood BOC Score 70.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California counseling page.


Counseling Wages Near Brentwood

Brentwood is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$68,400San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$59,170
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor$94,600San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$81,834
Marriage and Family Therapist$77,210San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$66,791
Rehabilitation Counselor$50,510San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$43,694
Counselor, All Other$54,820San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$47,422
Social and Community Service Manager$93,410San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$80,804

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Brentwood at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population64,609Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$139,567Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+38.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Contra Costa County28,979 workers, 13,658 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Brentwood-Area Cities With Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Brentwood, CA?

Accredited schools offering counseling programs near Brentwood are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Brentwood?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Brentwood are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($94,600), Social and Community Service Manager ($93,410), Marriage and Family Therapist ($77,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Oakley instead of Brentwood?

Oakley, CA is 4.2 miles from Brentwood and has its own set of local counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Brentwood an affordable place to study counseling?

Brentwood’s median household income of $139,567 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brentwood while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Brentwood

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Brentwood:

Data verified: July 23, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.