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 accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Palm Springs, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Palm Springs 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Palm Springs.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
83%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,690
Avg net price
$30,031/yr
TuitionIn‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,977
Avg net price
$4,564/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,824
Avg net price
$45,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,666
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,703
Avg net price
$32,654/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Key stats- Retention rate: 52%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,607
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
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.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $57,880 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $54,398 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor | $96,780 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $90,959 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $68,570 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $64,445 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor | $41,930 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $39,408 |
| Counselor, All Other | $46,190 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $43,412 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $79,570 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $74,784 |
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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 44,998 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $71,979 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 45.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 106.4 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Counseling-related employment in Riverside County | 58,532 workers, 39,336 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
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?
Accredited schools offering counseling programs near Palm Springs 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 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
Other Programs Available in Palm Springs
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Palm Springs:
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- Nursing programs in Palm Springs, CA
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- 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
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- 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
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.
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