BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Counseling Schools Near Waterville, ME (2026)
Updated September 6, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Waterville, Maine has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $4,156 to $25,822 per year for indexed programs. Waterville has a population of about 16,704. Median household income is $47,489 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Maine, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $76,160 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Counseling Schools to Waterville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Waterville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Waterville 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 Waterville.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Maine schools on the Maine counseling page.
Counseling Wages Near Waterville
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Maine, statewide)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor
$59,970
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor
$58,630
Marriage and Family Therapist
$71,680
Rehabilitation Counselor
$51,150
Counselor, All Other
$62,190
Social and Community Service Manager
$76,160
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.
Waterville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
16,704
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$47,489
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
32.2%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Counseling-related employment in Kennebec County
2,660 workers, 250 establishments
BLS QCEW 2024 annual
Other Waterville-Area Cities With Counseling Programs
How many accredited counseling schools are near Waterville, ME?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Waterville. The closest is Thomas College in Waterville, ME (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Beal University (46.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying counseling roles in Maine?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles in Maine are: Social and Community Service Manager ($76,160), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,680), Counselor, All Other ($62,190). Wages for Waterville workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Augusta instead of Waterville?
Augusta, ME is 14.9 miles from Waterville 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 Waterville an affordable place to study counseling?
Waterville’s median household income of $47,489 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Waterville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Maine 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.
Data verified: September 6, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-2035) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
