Substance Abuse Counseling Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 33 accredited schools offering substance abuse counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $5,338 to $45,174 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning substance abuse counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $81,650 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Substance Abuse Counseling Schools to Amherst

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

Holyoke Community College

Holyoke, MA 13.8 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
43.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,277
Avg net price $8,068/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Greenfield Community College

Greenfield, MA 17.4 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,132
Avg net price $7,679/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Springfield College

Springfield, MA 18.3 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
46.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,036
Avg net price $30,587/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education

Springfield, MA 18.6 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
51.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,036
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Bay Path University

Longmeadow, MA 21.7 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,383
Avg net price $14,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Mount Wachusett Community College

Gardner, MA 31.1 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,118
Avg net price $7,931/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Berkshire Community College

Pittsfield, MA 41.8 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
34.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,832
Avg net price $9,921/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Regis College

Weston, MA 61.2 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,873
Avg net price $27,477/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts substance abuse counseling page.


Substance Abuse Counseling Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$58,810Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$58,693
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$69,960Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$69,820
Social and Community Service Manager$81,650Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$81,487
Social and Human Service Assistant$44,900Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$44,810

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.


Amherst at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Substance Abuse Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited substance abuse counseling schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 33 accredited schools offering substance abuse counseling programs near Amherst. The closest is Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, MA (13.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Connecticut State Community College (42.1 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying substance abuse counseling roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying substance abuse counseling-related roles near Amherst are: Social and Community Service Manager ($81,650), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($69,960), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($58,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local substance abuse counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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 Substance Abuse Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Amherst

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

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.