Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Herndon, VA (2026)

Herndon, Virginia has 14 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $4,322 to $67,710 per year for indexed programs. Herndon has a population of about 24,529. Median household income is $141,418 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $101,670 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Herndon

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

Divine Mercy University

Sterling, VA 2.4 miles from Herndon
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Marymount University

Arlington, VA 14.6 miles from Herndon
  • 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

#3

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA 87.6 miles from Herndon
  • 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

#4

South University-Richmond

Glen Allen, VA 90.3 miles from Herndon
  • 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

#5

South University-Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, VA 162.9 miles from Herndon
  • 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

#6

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA 163.5 miles from Herndon
  • 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

#7

Bluefield University

Bluefield, VA 241.4 miles from Herndon
  • 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 285.9 miles from Herndon
  • 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 Herndon

Herndon is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (BLS area code 47900). 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$65,270Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$59,936
Marriage and Family Therapist$95,460Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$87,658
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$101,670Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$93,361
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$78,210Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$71,818

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.


Herndon at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population24,529Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$141,418Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Herndon-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 14 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Herndon. The closest is Divine Mercy University in Sterling, VA (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Johns Hopkins University (47.9 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Herndon are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($101,670), Marriage and Family Therapist ($95,460), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($78,210). 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 Fairfax instead of Herndon?

Fairfax, VA is 9.3 miles from Herndon 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 Herndon an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Herndon’s median household income of $141,418 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Herndon 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 Herndon

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

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.