Group home counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a group home counselor. Group home counselors usually study psychology, criminal justice, or social work. 54% of group home counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,313 real group home counselor resumes to see exactly what group home counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for group home counselors are the Norfolk State University and the Norfolk State University.

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

What education do you need to become a group home counselor?

What degree do you need to be a group home counselor?

The most common degree for group home counselors is bachelor's degree, with 54% of group home counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 54%

Associate, 17%

High School Diploma, 13%

Master's, 8%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a group home counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a group home counselor. 24% of group home counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a group home counselor include criminal justice and social work.

Psychology, 24%

Criminal Justice, 10%

Social Work, 10%

Sociology, 8%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for group home counselors

Group home counselors often get their degrees at Norfolk State University, California State University - San Bernardino, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for group home counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Group home counselor common college	Percentages
Norfolk State University	9.35%
California State University - San Bernardino	8.41%
University of Phoenix	8.41%
San Jose State University	6.54%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	5.61%

Show more common group home counselor colleges

Best majors for group home counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	24.1%
2	Criminal Justice	10.4%
3	Social Work	9.9%
4	Sociology	7.6%
5	Business	6.7%

Show more common group home counselor majors

Best colleges for group home counselors

The best colleges for group home counselors are Boston College, Boston University, and New York University.

A group home counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for group home counselors. 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 group home counselors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

4. Coppin State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,873

Enrollment

2,326

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for group home counselors

Advertising disclosure

1. How to foster conversation in Facebook community groups

In this guided project, you will learn about Facebook community groups and how to build effective communities, learn how to create your own community group, learn how improve your group engagement, learn how to create meaningful conversation in your community group and how to avoid mistakes. By the end of this project, you will have learned about the importance of using community groups, build your own community group, and make your group powerful to increase engagement...

2. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs

4.5

(651)

Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...

3. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor

4.3

(419)

Learn DBT in depth, start conducting sessions with ready to use templates, and set up counseling practice within weeks!...

4. Mastering Group Policy on Windows Server

4.7

(2,427)

An IT person's guide to managing Active Directory Users and Computers with Group Policy...

5. Active Directory & Group Policy Lab

4.5

(11,596)

Learn REAL job skills and stack your resume with the experience you will gain in this course!...

6. Group Life Coaching Certification (Accredited)

4.7

(1,578)

Training for life coaches who want to grow their business through offering life coaching groups...

7. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course

4.6

(1,178)

Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...

8. Group Discussion Strategies

(340)

Group Discussion helps understand a subject more deeply and improves the ability to think critically...

9. Crisis Intervention Seminar

4.4

(634)

The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

10. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators

4.5

(5,027)

Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...

11. Active Directory on Windows Server

4.6

(8,804)

Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...

12. Group Life Coach Practitioner Certification (ACCREDITED)

4.6

(288)

Discover the power of helping more people at once through the process of Group Life Coaching & become Fully Accredited...

13. Professional Certification in Counseling - Fully Accredited

4.2

(386)

Become Professional Counselor (Counsellor)...

14. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs

4.7

(1,529)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...

15. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs

4.4

(283)

Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....

16. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

4.8

(1,374)

Learn SFBT skills for creative conversations and better outcomes. With video of live sessions...

17. Accredited Group Chakra Healing Practitioner Professional

4.7

(276)

Learn everything you need to know to offer Chakra Healing events as a Group Healing Practitioner - the complete business...

18. The Work From Home Blueprint: 19 Online Home Business Models

(278)

Discover 19 ways to work from home and how I make a living through online activities only!...

19. Abstract Algebra: Group Theory with the Math Sorcerer

4.6

(372)

A beautiful course on the Theory of Groups:)...

20. Certified Spiritual Counselor & Psychology EmpathACCREDITED

4.7

(301)

Use a humanistic, soul care approach using strategy, positive psychology, emotional/impulse responses & natural empathy...

Top 10 most affordable universities for group home counselors

The most affordable schools for group home counselors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for group home counselors 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 group home counselors.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for group home counselors

The hardest universities for group home counselors to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and New York University.

Some great schools for group home counselors 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 group home counselors 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. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for group home counselors

The easiest schools for group home counselors to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and texas woman's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a group home counselor 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 group home counselors.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

4. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average group home counselor salary by education level

According to our data, group home counselors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $41,073 annually. Group home counselors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $36,282.

Group home counselor education level	Group home counselor salary
Master's Degree	$41,073
Bachelor's Degree	$36,282

Group home counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Group Home Counselors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for group home counselor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs