Best Mental Health Counseling Schools: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 5 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $12,540 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Rancho Santa Margarita has a population of about 47,257. Median household income is $146,827 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.8% 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 Rancho Santa Margarita

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

Aliso Viejo, CA 8.1 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • 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: 41

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

#2

Chapman University

Orange, CA 18.3 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The Chicago School at Anaheim

Anaheim, CA 20.2 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Daybreak University

Anaheim, CA 21.9 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA 29.1 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,803
Avg net price $19,058/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Phoenix-California

Ontario, CA 30.0 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 30.5 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 33.9 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,464
Avg net price $20,161/yr
Tuition
In‑state$49,470
Out‑of‑state$49,470
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 58

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

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

Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Rancho Santa Margarita

Rancho Santa Margarita 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$51,910Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$45,695
Marriage and Family Therapist$71,110Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$62,597
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$99,250Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$87,368
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$78,410Los 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.

Rancho Santa Margarita at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population47,257Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$146,827Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+48.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Rancho Santa Margarita-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Rancho Santa Margarita. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Aliso Viejo, CA (8.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Touro University Worldwide (29.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Rancho Santa Margarita?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Mission Viejo instead of Rancho Santa Margarita?

Mission Viejo, CA is 3.6 miles from Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Rancho Santa Margarita’s median household income of $146,827 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rancho Santa Margarita:

Data verified: August 31, 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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