Best Online Counseling Programs in Albany, NY (2026)

Albany, New York has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $37,452 to $52,773 per year for indexed programs. Albany has a population of about 100,081. Median household income is $59,485 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $88,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Counseling Schools to Albany

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Albany. Distances are calculated from Albany 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 Albany. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

The College of Saint Rose

Albany, NY 0.7 miles from Albany
Published tuition$37,452 - $52,773
Online programsYes

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#2

University at Albany

Albany, NY 2.0 miles from Albany BOC Score75.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Hudson Valley Community College

Troy, NY 6.3 miles from Albany BOC Score62.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Schenectady County Community College

Schenectady, NY 12.8 miles from Albany BOC Score43.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

Empire State University

Saratoga Springs, NY 28.4 miles from Albany BOC Score49.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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


Counseling Wages Near Albany

Albany is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area (BLS area code 10580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$57,030Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$57,259
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor$62,920Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$63,173
Marriage and Family Therapist$73,160Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$73,454
Rehabilitation Counselor$48,750Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$48,946
Counselor, All Other$58,500NY statewide$58,735
Social and Community Service Manager$88,410Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$88,765

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.


Albany at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population100,081Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,485Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+44.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)99.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Albany County8,024 workers, 411 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Albany-Area Cities With Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Albany, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Albany. The closest is The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Empire State University (28.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Albany?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Albany are: Social and Community Service Manager ($88,410), Marriage and Family Therapist ($73,160), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($62,920). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Troy instead of Albany?

Troy, NY is 7.9 miles from Albany 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 Albany an affordable place to study counseling?

Albany’s median household income of $59,485 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Albany while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New York 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 Albany

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

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.