Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Lake City, FL (2026)

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

Lake City, Florida has 6 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $5,656 to $47,830 per year for indexed programs. Lake City has a population of about 12,404. Median household income is $51,175 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Florida, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $85,610 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Lake City

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

Gainesville, FL 41.6 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
93.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL 68.1 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,343
Avg net price $10,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Stetson University

DeLand, FL 113.6 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
56.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 72%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,642
Avg net price $19,372/yr
Tuition
In‑state$57,410
Out‑of‑state$57,410
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 23

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

#4

Rollins College

Winter Park, FL 135.2 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,295
Avg net price $34,732/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 155.5 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 53%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,744
Avg net price $31,942/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 39

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

#6

South University-West Palm Beach

Royal Palm Beach, FL 283.7 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
27.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,421
Avg net price $20,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Palm Beach Atlantic University

West Palm Beach, FL 287.8 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
39.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,232
Avg net price $28,354/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Lynn University

Boca Raton, FL 304.7 miles from Lake City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
38.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 73%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,006
Avg net price $44,089/yr
Tuition
In‑state$44,480
Out‑of‑state$44,480
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 29

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

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

Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Lake City

OccupationMedian Annual Wage (Florida, statewide)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$56,790
Marriage and Family Therapist$56,400
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$85,610
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$51,590

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.

Lake City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population12,404Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$51,175Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+25.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)

Other Lake City-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Lake City, FL?

Our directory has 6 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Lake City. The closest is University of Florida in Gainesville, FL (41.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florida State University (99.9 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles in Florida?

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles in Florida are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($85,610), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($56,790), Marriage and Family Therapist ($56,400). Wages for Lake City workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Gainesville instead of Lake City?

Gainesville, FL is 39.5 miles from Lake City 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 Lake City an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Lake City’s median household income of $51,175 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Lake City

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

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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