Vista, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $1,354 to $46,042 per year for indexed programs. Vista has a population of about 98,646. Median household income is $91,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.2% 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 Vista
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Vista, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Vista 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 Vista.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
27%
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$84,943
Avg net price
$12,470/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,758
Out‑of‑state$50,958
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 30
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
$66,666
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,404
Avg net price
$31,266/yr
TuitionIn‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Key stats- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,548
Avg net price
$22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 57
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
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California counseling page.
Counseling Wages Near Vista
Vista 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.
Vista at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 98,646 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $91,854 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 27.2% | 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 Vista-Area Cities With Counseling Programs
- Oceanside, CA – 4.7 mi away (175,464 pop)
- Carlsbad, CA – 5.2 mi away (113,952 pop)
- San Marcos, CA – 5.3 mi away (95,261 pop)
- Encinitas, CA – 9.8 mi away (63,131 pop)
- Escondido, CA – 10.3 mi away (151,613 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited counseling schools are near Vista, CA?
Accredited schools offering counseling programs near Vista 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 Vista?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Vista 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 Oceanside instead of Vista?
Oceanside, CA is 4.7 miles from Vista 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 Vista an affordable place to study counseling?
Vista’s median household income of $91,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Vista 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 Vista
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Vista:
- Criminal Justice programs in Vista, CA
- Nursing programs in Vista, CA
- Business Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Computer Science programs in Vista, CA
- Psychology programs in Vista, CA
- Education programs in Vista, CA
- Engineering programs in Vista, CA
- Technology programs in Vista, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Vista, CA
- Healthcare programs in Vista, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Vista, CA
- Accounting programs in Vista, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Social Work programs in Vista, 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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