Student Counseling and Personnel Services: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 277 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Student Counseling and Personnel Services pays
Career outlook for Student Counseling and Personnel Services graduates
The job market for the occupations Student Counseling and Personnel Services graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | 376,300 | +3.5% | $65,140 | Master's degree |
| Residential advisors | 91,200 | +3.8% | $39,180 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Student Counseling and Personnel Services vs similar majors
How Student Counseling and Personnel Services stacks up against the closest fields in Education on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services Education · this major | Educational Administration and Supervision | Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | International and Comparative Education | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 33 F | 77 B | 70 B | 72 B |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $59,847 | $80,022 | $77,056 | $75,621 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $51,111 | $68,314 | $54,749 | $57,925 |
| ROI vs cost | +70% | +310% | +254% | +255% |
| Typical debt | $42,594 | $36,853 | $50,612 | $39,156 |
| Colleges offering it | 277 | 559 | 6 | 5 |
Student Counseling and Personnel Services earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Professional | $86,428 | — | +3,238% | Strong return |
| 2 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY | Certificate | $75,942 | — | +1,744% | Strong return |
| 3 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | Certificate | $77,183 | — | +1,663% | Strong return |
| 4 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Certificate | $82,406 | $29,571 | +1,513% | Strong return |
| 5 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Certificate | $89,187 | $41,000 | +1,505% | Strong return |
| 6 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Certificate | $81,063 | $37,190 | +1,315% | Strong return |
| 7 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Certificate | $82,681 | $40,301 | +1,133% | Strong return |
| 8 | California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA | Certificate | $71,950 | — | +1,092% | Strong return |
| 9 | Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA | Certificate | $99,410 | — | +898% | Strong return |
| 10 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Master's | $88,702 | $47,455 | +868% | Strong return |
| 11 | California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA | Certificate | $91,139 | $39,757 | +791% | Strong return |
| 12 | Indiana University-Southeast New Albany, IN | Certificate | $69,849 | — | +688% | Strong return |
| 13 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX | Certificate | $67,350 | $39,351 | +674% | Strong return |
| 14 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Certificate | $82,798 | — | +587% | Strong return |
| 15 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA | Certificate | $72,995 | $38,894 | +563% | Strong return |
| 16 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Certificate | $79,331 | $28,000 | +561% | Strong return |
| 17 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA | Certificate | $86,391 | $40,113 | +550% | Strong return |
| 18 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | Certificate | $68,977 | $25,045 | +546% | Strong return |
| 19 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Certificate | $65,357 | $36,491 | +524% | Strong return |
| 20 | California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA | Certificate | $75,711 | $34,021 | +517% | Strong return |
| 21 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX | Certificate | $65,304 | — | +442% | Strong return |
| 22 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ | Professional | $78,053 | — | +431% | Strong return |
| 23 | Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, GA | Certificate | $63,713 | — | +353% | Strong return |
| 24 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Certificate | $56,612 | — | +344% | Strong return |
| 25 | University of La Verne La Verne, CA | Certificate | $80,714 | — | +343% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.