Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville, Virginia has 6 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $18,145 to $67,710 per year for indexed programs. Charlottesville has a population of about 45,863. Median household income is $69,829 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlottesville, VA metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $86,540 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Charlottesville

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

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA 36.8 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,869
Avg net price $24,588/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South University-Richmond

Glen Allen, VA 59.3 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
18.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,421
Avg net price $30,442/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,145
Out‑of‑state$18,145
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 11

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

#3

Divine Mercy University

Sterling, VA 88.7 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Marymount University

Arlington, VA 94.8 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,516
Avg net price $29,137/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA 152.1 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
34.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 38%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,498
Avg net price $19,923/yr
Tuition
In‑state$21,650
Out‑of‑state$21,650
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 44

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

#6

South University-Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, VA 153.9 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
19.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 12%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,421
Avg net price $27,843/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,145
Out‑of‑state$18,145
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 14

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

#7

Bluefield University

Bluefield, VA 160.7 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
35.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 59%
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,896
Avg net price $25,573/yr
Tuition
In‑state$26,770
Out‑of‑state$26,770
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 28

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

#8

Emory & Henry University

Emory, VA 203.3 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,385
Avg net price $19,061/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Charlottesville

Charlottesville is part of the Charlottesville, VA metro area (BLS area code 16820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$57,220Charlottesville, VA$57,740
Marriage and Family Therapist$79,900VA statewide$80,626
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$86,540Charlottesville, VA$87,326
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$61,970Charlottesville, VA$62,533

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.


Charlottesville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population45,863Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$69,829Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+60.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)99.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Charlottesville-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Charlottesville, VA?

Our directory has 6 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Charlottesville. The closest is Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA (36.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is The Chicago School at Washington DC (98.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Charlottesville are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($86,540), Marriage and Family Therapist ($79,900), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($61,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Waynesboro instead of Charlottesville?

Waynesboro, VA is 22.7 miles from Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Charlottesville’s median household income of $69,829 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charlottesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Charlottesville

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

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.