Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Tumwater, WA (2026)

Tumwater, Washington has 12 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $4,197 to $62,898 per year for indexed programs. Tumwater has a population of about 26,519. Median household income is $93,635 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 41.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $108,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Tumwater

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

Faith International University

Tacoma, WA 27.5 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
37.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,006
Avg net price $22,662/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, WA 27.9 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
57.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,594
Avg net price $38,394/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Highline College

Des Moines, WA 39.9 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,869
Avg net price $9,879/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,772
Out‑of‑state$5,332
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Olympic College

Bremerton, WA 42.4 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
60.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,169
Avg net price $7,172/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Antioch University-Seattle

Seattle, WA 51.0 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,541
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northwest University

Kirkland, WA 57.3 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
50.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,914
Avg net price $22,288/yr
Tuition
In‑state$36,035
Out‑of‑state$36,035
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education

Kirkland, WA 57.3 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
33.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,914
Avg net price $35,671/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Skagit Valley College

Mount Vernon, WA 103.7 miles from Tumwater
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,505
Avg net price $6,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Tumwater

Tumwater is part of the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area (BLS area code 36500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$67,650Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$65,236
Marriage and Family Therapist$60,000WA statewide$57,859
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$108,240Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$104,378
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$57,370Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$55,323

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.


Tumwater at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population26,519Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$93,635Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+41.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.7 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Tumwater-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Tumwater, WA?

Our directory has 12 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Tumwater. The closest is Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA (6.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Seattle Pacific University (52.5 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Tumwater are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($108,240), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($67,650), Marriage and Family Therapist ($60,000). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Olympia instead of Tumwater?

Olympia, WA is 3.6 miles from Tumwater 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 Tumwater an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Tumwater’s median household income of $93,635 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Tumwater while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Tumwater

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

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.