2027 Most Affordable Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $59,350 national median annual wage for May 2025 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That occupational category includes mental health counselors but is broader than Kansas clinical license holders. Use the figure as a career benchmark, not as a predicted starting salary or a Kansas-specific wage.

When judging whether a program is worth its cost, request recent outcomes for its graduates and compare actual openings in your intended part of Kansas. Pay can differ by employer, experience, duties, and license level. A higher-paying role that requires additional supervised experience should not be counted as an immediate post-graduation outcome.

The clearest distinction between these options is how each frames its counseling degree. Use the features below to decide what to verify with admissions and the Kansas licensing board; neither a degree title nor a program description alone establishes licensing eligibility.

• Wichita State University: Clinical mental health counseling is identified as a track within its M. Ed. in Counseling, rather than as a separately titled counseling master's degree (Wichita State University). That structure may appeal to applicants comparing counseling pathways within one education program; ask for the clinical track's current credit plan, placement requirements, and licensure disclosure rather than relying on requirements for another track.
• MidAmerica Nazarene University: Its M.A. in Counseling identifies clinical mental health as the program focus, in contrast with Wichita State's track designation (MidAmerica Nazarene University). Applicants who want a directly labeled clinical mental health pathway should compare its required courses, supervised-training arrangements, and full program price with Wichita State's track before deciding which structure serves them better.

For a broader quality comparison alongside affordability, review the best clinical mental health counseling programs. Verify current program-level accreditation and board alignment directly; institutional accreditation and counseling-program accreditation are different checks.

Plan on roughly two to three years for a full-time counseling master's degree, with part-time study often taking longer. The useful comparison is each school's published sequence: prerequisites, course rotation, practicum, and internship can determine whether a seemingly faster timetable is realistic while working.

Graduation is not the end of the timeline for someone seeking independent clinical practice. Kansas has post-degree licensing requirements, including supervised experience for the clinical credential; ask the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board which requirements apply to your intended license and ask employers how supervision is arranged (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board).

Online study can reduce commuting for students outside Kansas's campus communities, but it does not eliminate supervised clinical work. Campus study may make in-person collaboration more convenient, while a flexible format may better protect a working student's income. The best format is the one whose schedule, placement support, and licensing disclosures work for where you will live and practice.

Ask an online program where Kansas residents complete practicum and internship, who approves sites and supervisors, and whether any required meetings are in person. If you may practice outside Kansas, obtain a written explanation of how the curriculum relates to that state's rules; approval in one state should not be assumed to transfer to another. Popularity is not a proxy for fit, but the most popular clinical mental health counseling programs can help you identify additional options to investigate.

There is no reliable single Kansas-wide average total price for a clinical mental health counseling master's degree in the institutional tuition data. IPEDS reports graduate charges at the institution level, while counseling programs can differ in required credits, course fees, clinical-placement expenses, and pace of study (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS). Presenting an institution-wide tuition figure as the average cost of this specific degree would be misleading.

Instead, obtain a written estimate for the entire curriculum from each school. Compare resident and nonresident rates where applicable, mandatory fees, books, placement travel, and the cost of any additional term. A lower per-credit price may not be the cheaper choice if the program takes longer or requires you to reduce paid work.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each school's graduate aid office. Depending on eligibility and program participation, options can include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, scholarships, assistantships, and employer tuition assistance (Federal Student Aid). Ask whether an award renews during clinical placements, when work hours may be harder to maintain.

Graduate PLUS availability changed for new graduate borrowers beginning July 1, 2026; qualifying borrowers who had already received a Graduate PLUS loan for their program may have transitional access, subject to federal conditions and limits. Do not build a 2027 financing plan around that loan without having the aid office confirm your eligibility under current rules (Federal Student Aid). Before borrowing, compare the net program cost after grants and employer support, not just the aid offered in the first year.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree, transcripts, and materials showing readiness for graduate study and client-facing work. Individual Kansas programs set their own rules for prior psychology coursework, recommendations, interviews, and admission deadlines; check the current requirements with each institution rather than assuming a counseling bachelor's degree is mandatory (Wichita State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University).

If you already hold graduate credits, ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling. A course that transfers as an elective may still fail to replace a required counseling or clinical course. Career changers should also ask when placements occur so they can test whether their work schedule permits completion.

Expect study in counseling theory, assessment and diagnosis, ethics, human development, group counseling, research, and multicultural counseling, followed by supervised practicum and internship. The precise course titles and clinical sequence depend on the program; compare them against the Kansas board's educational requirements and any applicable CACREP standards rather than matching titles alone (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

For affordability, inspect the sequence as closely as the catalog description. A required course offered infrequently can add a term of tuition and delay the start of supervised post-degree work.

Programs may offer electives or training experiences involving substance-use treatment, trauma, family work, or particular client populations. These interests are not automatically separate licenses or formal concentrations. Request the actual course plan and placement examples if a specialty is central to your career goal.

Choose broad clinical preparation when you are still exploring settings; favor a focused opportunity when you have confirmed that its courses and placement sites match the clients you want to serve. For example, a student interested in addiction services should compare supervised work in that setting, not just the presence of an addiction-related elective.

Start with the license and workplace you want, then screen programs for educational fit before comparing price. This order avoids the costly mistake of choosing the lowest published tuition without confirming that the curriculum and placements support your intended path.

1. Ask the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board which education and subsequent requirements apply to your intended license; get each program's written licensure disclosure.
2. Verify institutional accreditation and, separately, whether the specific counseling program holds the programmatic accreditation you want to use in your comparison.
3. Request a complete, term-by-term cost and course plan, including fees, transfer-credit decisions, and likely placement travel.
4. Ask where recent students completed placements, how sites and supervisors are approved, and what happens if a local site is unavailable.
5. Compare your likely debt and foregone earnings with plausible post-degree roles, allowing for graduation probability, later supervised training, and the time it may take for increased earnings to offset costs.

The most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs offer another comparison lens. Value still depends on your aid package, current earnings, completion timeline, and career goal; a ranking cannot calculate your personal return on investment.

Graduates may pursue counseling work in community agencies, outpatient care, hospitals, or substance-use services, subject to employer expectations and applicable licensure. With the required additional experience and credential, some pursue independent clinical practice; others move toward supervision or leadership later in their careers (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board).

Distinguish the job from its entry requirements before choosing a program. If your goal is independent therapy, plan for the full licensing journey. If you primarily want a role in school counseling, compare that credential's preparation and requirements instead of assuming a clinical mental health degree is interchangeable.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% national employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That is a broad U.S. occupational projection - not a Kansas forecast or a guarantee of an opening where you live. It supports investigating the field, while local vacancies and supervision availability should guide where you seek placements and apply for work.

Before accepting an offer, check the employer's required license level, client population, supervision arrangements, and location. Those details matter especially if you plan to train in one Kansas community but work in another: a strong placement network near campus may not solve a supervision or job-search problem after you move.

Education is a substantial investment, so Research.com's team evaluates affordability alongside evidence that a program supports students' progress toward professional practice. The ranking considers program cost, completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam results, CACREP programmatic accreditation, and institutional federal-aid eligibility. The Most Affordable ranking orders programs by cost; readers should still check each school's current charges and licensure fit before enrolling. More detail is available in Research.com's methodology.

To improve the ranking's quality, credibility, and accuracy, the team draws on these data sources and reviews how their measures apply to each program:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completion, and reported price information.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used to compare available options.
• College Scorecard database: federal institutional data, including available cost and outcome measures.
• National Center for Education Statistics: education data and definitions used to interpret institutional reporting.

These sources make the ranking a useful starting point, not a substitute for a written, program-specific cost estimate. A school's published graduate tuition may not capture counseling course fees, placement-related expenses, or the price of studying part-time.

• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Nebraska
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Iowa
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Texas
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Minnesota
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Mexico
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Louisiana
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Wisconsin

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Counselors
  Used to verify salary, employment outlook, and typical education requirements.
  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/
• CACREP - Directory of Accredited Programs
  Used to verify CACREP accreditation status of specific programs.
  https://www.cacrep.org/directory/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Wichita State University - M. Ed. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.wichita.edu/academics/education/cles/med_counseling-clinical-mental-health-track.php
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - M.A. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-clinical-mental-health/