Best Online Counseling Programs in Palm Springs, CA (2026)

Palm Springs, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $57,614 to $70,233 per year for indexed programs. Palm Springs has a population of about 44,998. Median household income is $71,979 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $96,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Palm Springs

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Palm Springs. Distances are calculated from Palm Springs city center.

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

Counseling Wages Near Palm Springs

Palm Springs is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

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.

Palm Springs at a Glance

Other Palm Springs-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

• Cathedral City, CA – 4.8 mi away (54,056 pop)
• Palm Desert, CA – 10.6 mi away (52,231 pop)
• Desert Hot Springs, CA – 10.6 mi away (43,327 pop)
• Indio, CA – 18.0 mi away (402,166 pop)
• La Quinta, CA – 18.1 mi away (40,956 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Palm Springs, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Palm Springs. The closest is California Nurses Educational Institute in Palm Springs, CA (2.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Loma Linda University (44.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Palm Springs?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Palm Springs are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($96,780), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,570), Marriage and Family Therapist ($68,570). 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 Cathedral City instead of Palm Springs?

Cathedral City, CA is 4.8 miles from Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs an affordable place to study counseling?

Palm Springs’s median household income of $71,979 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Palm Springs 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

• Counseling accreditation: what to look for
• Counseling concentrations and specializations
• Is a Counseling degree worth it?
• Main Counseling degree guide
• Online Counseling programs in California
• Counseling programs by state

Other Programs Available in Palm Springs

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

• Criminal Justice programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Nursing programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Business Administration programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Computer Science programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Psychology programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Education programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Engineering programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Technology programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Liberal Arts programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Healthcare programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Cybersecurity programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Accounting programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Healthcare Administration programs in Palm Springs, CA
• Social Work programs in Palm Springs, CA

Related from Our Editorial Library

• Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
• Best Online Colleges Ranking
• Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students

Data verified: June 11, 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.