Today's Most Affordable Online Counseling Master’s Degrees

How much financial aid you can get

There are many funding resources available for your online counseling master’s program, including scholarships and grants, employer tuition reimbursement, and tuition assistance programs. Other popular sources include work-study programs, tuition installment agreements, veteran benefits, and student loans. Learn more about these and other funding resources by contacting your school’s financial aid office and by checking out EduMed’s financial aid guide.

Where you live

Public colleges and universities often charge one tuition rate to students residing in their home state and another, usually higher, rate to out-of-state residents. So, it’s likely the most affordable online counseling programs for you are ones offered by a public school in your state. This rule doesn’t apply to private colleges, though, which often charge the same tuition rates to all students regardless of residency. There’s also a trend among public schools to charge a single affordable tuition rate to all online students regardless of residency.

Whether the school is private or public

Private colleges normally charge the same tuition rate to all students in their online counseling master’s programs. However, private school tuition rates tend to run substantially higher than for similar online programs from public schools. There are exceptions, of course, so don’t reject private online counseling programs without first checking rates.

How much of the coursework is offered online

Transportation costs to on-campus classes can be significant, and saving on those costs is a major advantage of online programs. The more of your counseling master’s program that’s online, the less you’ll pay in transportation costs.

What software and other equipment your school covers

Studying online means needing access to the internet along with software programs and applications, and costs for these services add up. Find out about all hardware and software requirements for the online counseling programs you’re considering as well as whether those programs supply these items free-of-charge. Also, get a detailed understanding of all non-tuition costs associated with your online program before enrolling. Additional charges might include online program fees, technology fees, etc.

Whether the program has a flexible class schedule that lets you keep your current job

You may not think of a flexible class schedule as an affordability issue, but it can be, particularly for working students who must fit classes around job schedules. Features like asynchronous coursework and virtual evening and weekend classes can make a world of difference to working students.

1. Look into all of the scholarship options you may be eligible for.

Scholarships and grants save you money because you don’t pay them back, essentially making them free money. Many students fail to pursue these awards falsely thinking that need stellar academic records to qualify. However, many scholarship and grant awards are based on factors like financial need and minority or special interest group membership. Your school’s financial aid office is a great place to find out about eligibility, and be sure to visit EduMed’s scholarship page for info on starting your scholarship search.

2. Consider Federal and State loan repayment programs.

Counseling professionals, including LPCs and Substance Abuse Disorder Counselors, may be eligible for substantial loan repayment benefits through one of the federal government’s HRSA Loan Repayment programs. Qualifying students can receive up to $50,000 to repay student loans in exchange for two years of service at a National Health Service Corp-approved practice site in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area. Similar loan repayment programs are available through many state government.

3. Find out about any loan forgiveness programs.

Along with loan repayment programs, the federal government and many state governments also sponsor student loan forgiveness programs. Federal loan forgiveness programs include the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, and you can search for state loan forgiveness programs using this American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Loan Forgiveness & Funding Opportunities search engine.