Irvine, California has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $7,449 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Irvine has a population of about 308,160. Median household income is $129,647 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 70.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $99,250 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Irvine
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Irvine, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Irvine 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 Irvine.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,703
Avg net price
$32,654/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Key stats- Retention rate: 52%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
83%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,690
Avg net price
$30,031/yr
TuitionIn‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,187
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,077
Avg net price
$12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California mental health counseling page.
Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Irvine
Irvine is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $51,910 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,695 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $71,110 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $62,597 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologist | $99,250 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $87,368 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $78,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $69,023 |
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.
Irvine at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 308,160 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $129,647 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 70.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Irvine-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs
- Tustin, CA – 4.3 mi away (80,395 pop)
- Lake Forest, CA – 6.0 mi away (83,240 pop)
- Newport Beach, CA – 6.9 mi away (86,688 pop)
- Aliso Viejo, CA – 7.2 mi away (51,424 pop)
- Laguna Hills, CA – 7.3 mi away (31,509 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Irvine, CA?
Our directory has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Irvine. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Irvine, CA (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Dominguez Hills (30.6 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Irvine?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Irvine are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($99,250), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($78,410), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,110). 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 Tustin instead of Irvine?
Tustin, CA is 4.3 miles from Irvine 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 Irvine an affordable place to study mental health counseling?
Irvine’s median household income of $129,647 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Irvine 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 Irvine
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Irvine:
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in Irvine, CA
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- Supply Chain Management programs in Irvine, CA
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- Public Health programs in Irvine, CA
- Human Resources programs in Irvine, CA
- Project Management programs in Irvine, CA
- Special Education programs in Irvine, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Irvine, CA
- Marketing programs in Irvine, CA
- Finance programs in Irvine, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Irvine, CA
- Sports Management programs in Irvine, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Irvine, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Irvine, CA
- Biology programs in Irvine, CA
- Communications programs in Irvine, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Irvine, CA
- Human Services programs in Irvine, CA
- MBA programs in Irvine, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Irvine, CA
- Nursing programs in Irvine, CA
- Business Administration programs in Irvine, CA
- Computer Science programs in Irvine, CA
- Psychology programs in Irvine, CA
- Education programs in Irvine, CA
- Engineering programs in Irvine, CA
- Technology programs in Irvine, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Irvine, CA
- Healthcare programs in Irvine, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Irvine, CA
- Accounting programs in Irvine, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Irvine, CA
- Social Work programs in Irvine, CA
- Counseling programs in Irvine, CA
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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