Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Fayetteville, AR (2026)

Fayetteville, Arkansas has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $8,054 to $31,756 per year for indexed programs. Fayetteville has a population of about 97,227. Median household income is $59,074 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker at a median $96,420 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Fayetteville

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

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR 23.5 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,907
Avg net price $20,397/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Central Arkansas

Conway, AR 118.0 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,938
Avg net price $16,511/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR 148.0 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
29.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,459
Avg net price $23,405/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Ouachita Baptist University

Arkadelphia, AR 148.1 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,673
Avg net price $22,409/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Harding University

Searcy, AR 148.4 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,876
Avg net price $22,130/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Arkansas State University

Jonesboro, AR 196.0 miles from Fayetteville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
51.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 82%
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,617
Avg net price $12,366/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,090
Out‑of‑state$14,522
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Fayetteville

Fayetteville is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR metro area (BLS area code 22220). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$48,220Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$52,757
Marriage and Family Therapist$64,340AR statewide$70,394
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$77,520Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$84,814
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$96,420Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$105,492

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.


Fayetteville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population97,227Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,074Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+49.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Fayetteville-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Fayetteville, AR?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Fayetteville. The closest is John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR (23.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies (93.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Fayetteville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Fayetteville are: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($96,420), Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($77,520), Marriage and Family Therapist ($64,340). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Springdale instead of Fayetteville?

Springdale, AR is 8.2 miles from Fayetteville and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fayetteville an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Fayetteville’s median household income of $59,074 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fayetteville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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 Mental Health Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Fayetteville

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

Data verified: August 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.