Best Counseling Schools Near Nashville, TN (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Nashville, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $42,540 to $62,570 per year for indexed programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $89,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Nashville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Nashville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Nashville 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:

  • 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 Nashville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN 2.0 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
91.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $91,565
Avg net price $15,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 157

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 2.5 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
34.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,730
Avg net price $15,796/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Belmont University

Nashville, TN 2.5 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,930
Avg net price $33,147/yr
Tuition
In‑state$42,540
Out‑of‑state$42,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, TN 2.7 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,378
Avg net price $16,813/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 4.6 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,541
Avg net price $24,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Counseling Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor $50,810 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $52,762
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor $60,550 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $62,876
Marriage and Family Therapist $47,650 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $49,481
Rehabilitation Counselor $46,490 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $48,276
Counselor, All Other $45,870 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $47,632
Social and Community Service Manager $89,840 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN $93,292

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.

Nashville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Davidson County 11,652 workers, 1,229 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Nashville. The closest is Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lipscomb University (4.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Nashville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Nashville are: Social and Community Service Manager ($89,840), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($60,550), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($50,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville 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.

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 Nashville

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

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.

Back to Best Counseling Schools in Tennessee: Online Programs (2026)