Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Highland, CA (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Highland, California has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $12,540 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Highland has a population of about 56,690. Median household income is $77,979 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $92,730 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Highland

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

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA 3.4 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
66.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,690
Avg net price $30,031/yr
Tuition
In‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA 6.8 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
96.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 46.8 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,703
Avg net price $32,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 62.6 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 88.6 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
35.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA 361.0 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
92.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,187
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 388.0 miles from Highland
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Highland

Highland is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$57,880Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$54,398
Marriage and Family Therapist$68,570Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$64,445
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$92,730Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$87,152
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$87,370Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$82,115

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.

Highland at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population56,690Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$77,979Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)106.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Highland-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Highland, CA?

Our directory has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Highland. The closest is University of Redlands in Redlands, CA (3.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the West (52.7 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Highland are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($92,730), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($87,370), Marriage and Family Therapist ($68,570). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Redlands instead of Highland?

Redlands, CA is 4.2 miles from Highland 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 Highland an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Highland’s median household income of $77,979 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Highland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Highland

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

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.

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