Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Princeton, NJ (2026)

Princeton, New Jersey has 43 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $7,490 to $53,170 per year for indexed programs. Princeton has a population of about 30,451. Median household income is $184,113 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 84.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $128,850 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Princeton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Princeton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Princeton 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 Princeton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ 4.6 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,208
Avg net price $24,792/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kean University

Union, NJ 31.9 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
65.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,237
Avg net price $12,447/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ 34.7 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
66.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,196
Avg net price $31,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ 35.2 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
57.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,726
Avg net price $20,503/yr
Tuition
In‑state$37,732
Out‑of‑state$37,732
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, NJ 35.3 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
66.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,991
Avg net price $30,988/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ 50.8 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
68.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,988
Avg net price $22,408/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,574
Out‑of‑state$26,932
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 89

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Stockton University

Galloway, NJ 60.1 miles from Princeton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
68.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,602
Avg net price $20,670/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Princeton

Princeton is part of the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area (BLS area code 45940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$65,940Trenton-Princeton, NJ$63,895
Marriage and Family Therapist$92,150Trenton-Princeton, NJ$89,293
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$128,850Trenton-Princeton, NJ$124,855
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$66,590Trenton-Princeton, NJ$64,525

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.


Princeton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,451Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$184,113Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+84.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Princeton-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Princeton, NJ?

Our directory has 43 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Princeton. The closest is Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ (6.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (37.7 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Princeton are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($128,850), Marriage and Family Therapist ($92,150), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($66,590). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Trenton instead of Princeton?

Trenton, NJ is 10.4 miles from Princeton 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 Princeton an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Princeton’s median household income of $184,113 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Princeton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey 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 Princeton

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

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.