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Counselor internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a counselor internship. Counselor interns usually study psychology, school counseling, or social work. 69% of counselor interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 30,172 real counselor internship resumes to see exactly what counselor internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for counselor interns are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.

There are also many online counselor internship courses to help get the education required to be a counselor internship.

There are certain counselor internship certifications that you should consider. These counselor internship certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor (NCC).

What education do you need to become a counselor internship?

What degree do you need to be a counselor internship?

The most common degree for counselor interns is bachelor's degree, with 69% of counselor interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Doctorate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a counselor internship?

You should major in psychology to become a counselor internship. 38% of counselor interns major in psychology. Other common majors for a counselor internship include school counseling and social work.

Most common colleges for counselor interns

Counselor interns often get their degrees at Liberty University, University of Phoenix, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for counselor interns in the US based on their resumes.
Counselor internship common collegePercentages
Liberty University11.23%
University of Phoenix9.25%
California State University - San Bernardino5.94%
Florida State University5.94%
Pennsylvania State University5.94%

Best majors for counselor interns

Best colleges for counselor interns

The best colleges for counselor interns are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

A counselor internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for counselor interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become counselor interns.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for counselor interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for counselor interns

The most affordable schools for counselor interns are Hunter College of the City University of New York, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for counselor interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for counselor interns.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for counselor interns

The hardest universities for counselor interns to get into are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

Some great schools for counselor interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for counselor interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for counselor interns

The easiest schools for counselor interns to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, kean university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a counselor internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for counselor interns.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average counselor internship salary by education level

According to our data, counselor interns with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $50,725 annually. Counselor interns with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $42,110.
Counselor internship education levelCounselor internship salary
Master's Degree$50,725
Bachelor's Degree$42,110

Counselor internship education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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