Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Niles, IL (2026)

Niles, Illinois has 17 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $4,560 to $68,322 per year for indexed programs. Niles has a population of about 30,262. Median household income is $78,563 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $85,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Niles

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

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, IL 5.8 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
35.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,234
Avg net price $14,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Moody Bible Institute

Chicago, IL 12.6 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
48.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,399
Avg net price $22,221/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The Chicago School at Chicago

Chicago, IL 13.2 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

National Louis University

Chicago, IL 13.8 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
42.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,799
Avg net price $12,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL 14.1 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
40.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,712
Avg net price $20,194/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, IL 16.5 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
81.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 55%
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,592
Avg net price $18,425/yr
Tuition
In‑state$52,386
Out‑of‑state$52,386
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL 32.2 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
73.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,099
Avg net price $17,028/yr
Tuition
In‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Governors State University

University Park, IL 40.3 miles from Niles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
51.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,169
Avg net price $12,329/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Niles

Niles is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$61,600Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$59,459
Marriage and Family Therapist$61,360Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$59,228
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$85,390Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$82,423
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$57,720Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$55,714

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.


Niles at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,262Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$78,563Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+39.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Niles-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Niles, IL?

Our directory has 17 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Niles. The closest is Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL (5.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of DuPage (18.6 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Niles are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($85,390), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($61,600), Marriage and Family Therapist ($61,360). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Morton Grove instead of Niles?

Morton Grove, IL is 1.5 miles from Niles 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 Niles an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Niles’s median household income of $78,563 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Niles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Niles

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

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.