Best Online Counseling Programs in Santee, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santee, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Santee has a population of about 59,485. Median household income is $105,613 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $83,520 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Santee

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

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 Santee. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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

Counseling Wages Near Santee

Santee is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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	$57,660	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$51,528
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$83,520	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$74,638
Marriage and Family Therapist	$49,610	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$44,334
Rehabilitation Counselor	$45,700	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$40,840
Counselor, All Other	$47,970	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$42,869
Social and Community Service Manager	$79,770	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$71,287

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.

Santee at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	59,485	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$105,613	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	32.9%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	111.9 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in San Diego County	79,956 workers, 37,475 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santee-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

El Cajon, CA – 4.0 mi away (103,768 pop)
La Mesa, CA – 6.2 mi away (59,948 pop)
San Diego, CA – 8.2 mi away (3,181,172 pop)
Lemon Grove, CA – 8.9 mi away (26,860 pop)
Poway, CA – 9.3 mi away (50,077 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Santee, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Santee. The closest is Southern California Seminary in El Cajon, CA (6.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northcentral University (8.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Santee?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Santee are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($83,520), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,770), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($57,660). 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 El Cajon instead of Santee?

El Cajon, CA is 4.0 miles from Santee 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 Santee an affordable place to study counseling?

Santee’s median household income of $105,613 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santee 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 Santee

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

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.

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