Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Albuquerque, NM (2026)

Albuquerque, New Mexico has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $4,346 to $12,336 per year for indexed programs. Albuquerque has a population of about 562,488. Median household income is $65,604 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 38.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Albuquerque, NM metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $124,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Albuquerque

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

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

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#1

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, NM 87.4 miles from Albuquerque
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
41.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,937
Avg net price $14,838/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Navajo Technical University

Crownpoint, NM 93.5 miles from Albuquerque
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
43.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $26,364
Avg net price $5,338/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Las Cruces, NM 193.0 miles from Albuquerque
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,067
Avg net price $8,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of the Southwest

Hobbs, NM 255.4 miles from Albuquerque
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
35.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,389
Avg net price $16,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Albuquerque

Albuquerque is part of the Albuquerque, NM metro area (BLS area code 10740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Mexico statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$73,990Albuquerque, NM$77,476
Marriage and Family Therapist$71,340Albuquerque, NM$74,702
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$124,800Albuquerque, NM$130,681
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$61,280Albuquerque, NM$64,168

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.


Albuquerque at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population562,488Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$65,604Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+38.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Albuquerque-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Albuquerque, NM?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Albuquerque. The closest is New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM (87.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Navajo Technical University (93.7 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Albuquerque are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($124,800), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($73,990), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,340). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Mexico statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Rio Rancho instead of Albuquerque?

Rio Rancho, NM is 12.9 miles from Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Albuquerque’s median household income of $65,604 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Albuquerque while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Mexico 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 Albuquerque

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.