2027 Most Affordable Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Jersey

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $59,350 national median annual wage for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in May 2025. This occupational figure includes workers with different experience levels and credentials; it is not a New Jersey starting salary or a forecast for someone completing a particular program.

For a personal earnings estimate, compare current New Jersey job postings for the credential you expect to hold immediately after graduation with postings requiring full LPC licensure. Consider setting, supervision, benefits, and whether compensation is salaried or tied to client hours. This is more useful for a borrowing decision than applying a national occupational median directly to your first job.

The programs below differ in degree design, institution type, and location - features that can affect both licensure planning and the practical cost of attending. These are comparison points, not claims that a school has the lowest tuition or guarantees licensure; request each program's current curriculum and clinical-placement details before choosing. The best clinical mental health counseling programs comparison provides a separate view of program quality.

• William Paterson University of New Jersey: Its MEd in professional counseling with a clinical mental health counseling concentration offers an education-degree route rather than a degree titled solely clinical mental health counseling (William Paterson University). Ask how its concentration requirements map to New Jersey's LPC education rules, and whether the Wayne location works for field placement.
• Monmouth University: Its MS is specifically titled Clinical Mental Health Counseling, making the intended clinical focus clear at the degree level (Monmouth University). For applicants considering this private university, the decisive comparison is its individual aid offer and full program price against public options, not the degree title alone.
• Montclair State University: Its MA in Counseling gives applicants a broader program name to investigate rather than assuming every counseling pathway has identical licensure implications (Montclair State University). Request the exact clinical track plan and check whether its northern New Jersey location expands feasible placement choices for you.
• Georgian Court University: Its graduate clinical mental health counseling option provides a private-university choice in Lakewood (Georgian Court University). It is particularly worth comparing for students who need a manageable commute to both classes and a supervised placement; obtain a net-cost estimate before judging affordability.
• Stockton University: Its graduate Counseling program offers a public-university option in southern New Jersey (Stockton University). That geography may make it more practical than northern campuses for students seeking nearby clinical placements, but confirm the particular curriculum's LPC alignment.
• The College of New Jersey: Its MA is explicitly designated Clinical Mental Health Counseling (The College of New Jersey). Students seeking a clearly identified clinical degree at a public institution should compare its required course sequence and Ewing-area placement logistics with other options.
• Kean University: Its Counseling MA is another broadly named public-university program, based in Union (Kean University). Ask which specific course plan is intended for clinical mental health licensure before comparing its price with degrees that name the specialty outright.
• Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus: Its MA is specifically designated Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is offered through a private university in northern New Jersey (Fairleigh Dickinson University). Working applicants should verify the current course schedule, placement expectations, and aid offer to determine whether the format offsets any price difference.

Plan on roughly two to three years for a full-time counseling master's, with part-time study often taking longer. Your actual timeline depends on course sequencing, summer offerings, prerequisite needs, and when you can complete supervised clinical work. Ask whether the school guarantees access to required courses each term; a low per-credit price can lose its advantage if delayed courses add semesters of fees or postpone employment.

The degree timeline also differs from the timeline to independent practice. New Jersey's LPC pathway includes requirements beyond earning the master's, including supervised experience and an examination, under the New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee's rules. Ask the program to distinguish what you complete before graduation from what remains afterward.

Online study can reduce travel to classes, but it does not eliminate supervised clinical training or ensure that a placement near your home is available. Campus study may make regular faculty and peer contact easier, while adding commuting costs. Hybrid programs can combine both sets of obligations. For an employed New Jersey student, the better format is the one that accommodates required live sessions, clinical-site hours, and supervision without jeopardizing course progress.

Before accepting an online offer, get written answers about where placements may occur, who finds and approves sites, whether any campus visits are required, and how the curriculum addresses New Jersey licensure rules. A program's online availability is not proof of LPC eligibility.

There is no single reliable statewide average that captures what an individual will pay for a clinical mental health counseling master's. Published graduate tuition may be institution-wide, while program fees, credit requirements, residency classification, and aid vary. A public university's in-state rate may differ from its out-of-state rate; private universities may offer aid that changes the net comparison. Compare actual program quotes rather than treating a statewide or national graduate-tuition figure as your bill.

Request the total price for all required credits, mandatory fees, books, travel to placement, and any terms in which you will pay tuition while completing clinical work. Subtract grants and assistantships you are likely to receive - not loans - and account for income you might give up during placement. Then compare the result with the most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs to assess value separately from sticker price. The sounder investment may be a program that costs more upfront but fits your schedule and can be completed without avoidable delays.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each institution's graduate-aid office. Eligible students may be considered for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans; schools may also offer scholarships, assistantships, or employer-supported study. Confirm eligibility and renewal terms with the school and Federal Student Aid. Do not assume that grants advertised to New Jersey undergraduates also cover a counseling master's.

Federal Graduate PLUS rules changed for new graduate borrowing beginning July 2026. Under Federal Student Aid's transition rules, some students who were already enrolled in and borrowed for the same program before the change may retain limited eligibility; new borrowers should not budget on receiving a Graduate PLUS Loan. Ask the aid office which rules apply to your enrollment and borrowing history, and seek a written financing plan before paying a deposit.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the chosen school's graduate admission standards. Programs may ask for transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or relevant prerequisite coursework; requirements vary, so a psychology major should not be assumed to be mandatory or unnecessary everywhere. Institution admissions pages - not a ranking - are the authority on current deadlines and requirements.

If you have previous graduate counseling credits, ask for a course-by-course transfer evaluation before enrolling. Find out whether transferred courses count toward the degree, satisfy the clinical curriculum, and meet New Jersey board requirements. Credit accepted by a university does not automatically satisfy every licensure requirement.

Expect work in counseling theories and skills, human development, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, research, and multicultural counseling, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Course names and sequencing differ across schools. For New Jersey licensure planning, examine the actual syllabi and clinical-training documentation against the Professional Counselor Examiners Committee's requirements rather than relying on a catalog description alone.

Ask when clinical training begins and whether any required courses must be completed before placement. That sequence affects both time to degree and the ability to keep a job while studying.

Depending on the school, students may be able to focus electives or placements on substance-use treatment, trauma, child and adolescent care, or other clinical interests. Availability is program-specific, and a focus area is not necessarily a separate credential. Choose it for the skills and supervised experience it offers, while protecting room in your course plan for required LPC education.

School counseling, marriage and family therapy, and clinical mental health counseling can lead to different professional requirements. If one of those other roles is your firm goal, compare its dedicated degree and New Jersey credentialing pathway before choosing a clinical mental health concentration.

Start with the career you want, then screen programs for the education and training needed to pursue it in New Jersey. Accreditation, licensure alignment, achievable clinical placement, and net cost should all survive scrutiny before a school reaches your shortlist. CACREP accredits eligible counseling programs, but institutional accreditation and programmatic accreditation are different checks; confirm each program's current status with the accreditor and verify education requirements with the New Jersey Professional Counselor Examiners Committee.

These questions help expose differences that a tuition figure or ranking position cannot:

1. Will this exact degree and course plan satisfy the New Jersey board's current educational requirements for the license I want?
2. What will I pay for the complete degree after confirmed aid, and which fees or clinical-training expenses are excluded?
3. Who arranges placements, where have students trained, and can I complete required hours while working?
4. How long do students on my intended full-time or part-time schedule typically take to finish, and what happens if a required course is unavailable?
5. Which program-level completion, exam, and employment outcomes can the school document, and what reporting period do they cover?

Finally, estimate return on investment using your likely debt, completion probability, income forgone while studying, current earnings, plausible postdegree earnings, and the time it may take to obtain full licensure. A lower-priced program is not automatically the better investment, and a higher-priced one needs a benefit you can identify and reasonably use.

One path is to begin in an appropriately supervised counseling role after graduation, complete the remaining New Jersey credentialing requirements, and later pursue positions that require LPC licensure. Other graduates may seek clinical work in substance-use services, community agencies, or healthcare settings, subject to employer and credential requirements. Someone interested primarily in research or teaching may instead need further graduate study.

This degree is a stronger investment for applicants who want sustained client-facing counseling work and can accommodate supervised training. It may be a poor fit if you need an immediately independent practice, cannot make time for placement, or actually want a school-counseling credential. Clarify the target job before choosing the degree.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% national employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025 to 2035. That projection indicates broad demand in the occupation, but it does not measure openings near a particular New Jersey campus or guarantee work to a new graduate.

To assess your local market, examine current postings in the counties where you could live and train. Separate jobs open to graduates working under supervision from those requiring an LPC, and note whether employers seek experience with particular client populations. Placement geography matters: a program with accessible clinical sites can help you build relevant experience without assuming that a national growth rate will translate into a convenient local job.

Education is a significant investment, so Research.com designed its counseling rankings to make program comparisons more credible and useful. The team evaluates graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam results, accreditation and federal aid eligibility, and program cost. The Most Affordable ranking orders programs by its affordability dimension; it should be read alongside the other measures rather than as a claim that the lowest-cost option is the best fit.

For context, the Best ranking first scores completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, CACREP programmatic accreditation, and Title IV eligibility. Cost then contributes a smaller share of its final score. Criteria that do not apply are excluded and the remaining shares are adjusted. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs.

The team used these sources to check institutional information and strengthen the quality and accuracy of the ranking:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completions, and reported price information.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used in school comparisons.
• College Scorecard database: federal institutional data, including aid and outcomes where available.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions used to interpret reported measures.

The ranking offers a starting shortlist, not an individualized price quote or a licensure determination. Readers can learn more about the approach on the Research.com methodology page, then confirm current tuition, aid, accreditation, and course requirements directly with each school.

• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Pennsylvania
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New York
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Connecticut
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Virginia
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Massachusetts
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Ohio
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Carolina
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Carolina
• 2027 Most Affordable Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee

• 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/
• NBCC - NCE / NCMHCE
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.nbcc.org/exams
• William Paterson University of New Jersey - MEd in Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.wpunj.edu/coe/departments/SE-PC-DS/degrees-offered/med-pc-cmhcc.html
• Monmouth University - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.monmouth.edu/graduate/ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Montclair State University - M.A. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.montclair.edu/academics/programs/ma-counseling
• Georgian Court University - M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://georgian.edu/academics/graduate-programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Stockton University - M.A. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.stockton.edu/graduate/counseling.html