Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Houston, TX (2026)

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

Houston, Texas has 4 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $7,770 to $39,430 per year for indexed programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $98,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Houston

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

Houston, TX 3.4 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
63.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,224
Avg net price $19,359/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,634
Out‑of‑state$34,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 20

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

#2

Houston Christian University

Houston, TX 9.7 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,933
Avg net price $20,629/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 22.8 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$67,370Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$68,327
Marriage and Family Therapist$44,140Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$44,767
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$98,190Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$99,584
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$48,880Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$49,574

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.

Houston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population2,300,419Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$62,894Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+36.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)98.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Houston-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Houston, TX?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Houston. The closest is University of St Thomas in Houston, TX (3.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lamar University (81.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Houston are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($98,190), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($67,370), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($48,880). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Houston

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

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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