Lincoln, Nebraska has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $9,903 to $23,531 per year for indexed programs. Lincoln has a population of about 291,932. Median household income is $69,991 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 41.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lincoln, NE metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor at a median $76,480 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Counseling Schools to Lincoln
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Lincoln, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lincoln 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 Lincoln.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,405
Avg net price
$9,171/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Nebraska schools on the Nebraska counseling page.
Counseling Wages Near Lincoln
Lincoln is part of the Lincoln, NE metro area (BLS area code 30700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Nebraska statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor |
$76,480 |
Lincoln, NE |
$83,493 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor |
$55,510 |
Lincoln, NE |
$60,600 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist |
$71,760 |
Lincoln, NE |
$78,341 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor |
$45,030 |
Lincoln, NE |
$49,159 |
| Counselor, All Other |
$40,530 |
NE statewide |
$44,247 |
| Social and Community Service Manager |
$74,840 |
Lincoln, NE |
$81,703 |
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.
Lincoln at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
291,932 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$69,991 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
41.0% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
91.6 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
| Counseling-related employment in Lancaster County |
6,362 workers, 1,022 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Lincoln-Area Cities With Counseling Programs
- Fremont, NE – 44.8 mi away (27,598 pop)
- Bellevue, NE – 45.5 mi away (53,505 pop)
- Omaha, NE – 45.6 mi away (792,463 pop)
- Council Bluffs, IA – 52.3 mi away (62,524 pop)
- Columbus, NE – 55.7 mi away (22,846 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited counseling schools are near Lincoln, NE?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Lincoln. The closest is Southeast Community College Area in Lincoln, NE (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Nebraska at Omaha (46.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Lincoln?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Lincoln are: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($76,480), Social and Community Service Manager ($74,840), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,760). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Nebraska statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Fremont instead of Lincoln?
Fremont, NE is 44.8 miles from Lincoln 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 Lincoln an affordable place to study counseling?
Lincoln’s median household income of $69,991 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lincoln while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Nebraska 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 Lincoln
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lincoln:
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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 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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