Best Online Counseling Programs in Santa Paula, CA (2026)

Santa Paula, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Santa Paula has a population of about 31,202. Median household income is $77,130 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $100,790 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Counseling Schools to Santa Paula

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Santa Paula, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Paula 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 Santa Paula. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA 14.1 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 68.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,712
Avg net price $30,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Carpinteria, CA 29.5 miles from Santa Paula
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

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

#3

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 31.9 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 75.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 43

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

#4

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 38.5 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 63.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 45.5 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 72.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,349
Avg net price $48,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 45.9 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 59.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 50.2 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 80.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 50.9 miles from Santa Paula BOC Score 32.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Counseling Wages Near Santa Paula

Santa Paula is part of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area (BLS area code 37100). 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$64,910Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$58,742
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor$100,790Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$91,213
Marriage and Family Therapist$49,680Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$44,959
Rehabilitation Counselor$43,110Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$39,014
Counselor, All Other$48,850CA statewide$44,208
Social and Community Service Manager$80,840Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$73,158

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.


Santa Paula at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population31,202Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$77,130Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+14.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.5 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Ventura County20,706 workers, 8,062 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Paula-Area Cities With Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Santa Paula, CA?

Accredited schools offering counseling programs near Santa Paula 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 Santa Paula?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Santa Paula are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($100,790), Social and Community Service Manager ($80,840), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($64,910). 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 Camarillo instead of Santa Paula?

Camarillo, CA is 9.2 miles from Santa Paula 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 Santa Paula an affordable place to study counseling?

Santa Paula’s median household income of $77,130 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Paula 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 Santa Paula

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

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.