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School counseling internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a school counseling internship. School counseling interns usually study psychology, school counseling, or education. 67% of school counseling interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 11,797 real school counseling internship resumes to see exactly what school counseling internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for school counseling interns are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

There are certain school counseling internship certifications that you should consider. These school counseling internship certifications include Pastoral Counseling Certification and National Certified Counselor (NCC).

What education do you need to become a school counseling internship?

What degree do you need to be a school counseling internship?

The most common degree for school counseling interns is bachelor's degree, with 67% of school counseling interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a school counseling internship?

You should major in psychology to become a school counseling internship. 36% of school counseling interns major in psychology. Other common majors for a school counseling internship include school counseling and education.

Most common colleges for school counseling interns

School counseling interns often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, New York University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for school counseling interns in the US based on their resumes.
School counseling internship common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University7.30%
New York University6.91%
California State University - San Bernardino6.91%
Mercy College6.91%
Liberty University6.00%

Best majors for school counseling interns

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology36.3%
2School Counseling10.3%
3Education5.6%
4Social Work5.2%
5Sociology5.1%

Best colleges for school counseling interns

The best colleges for school counseling interns are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

A school counseling 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 school counseling 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 school counseling interns.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for school counseling interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for school counseling interns

The most affordable schools for school counseling interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for school counseling 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 school counseling interns.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for school counseling interns

The hardest universities for school counseling interns to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for school counseling 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 school counseling 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for school counseling interns

The easiest schools for school counseling interns to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a school counseling 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 school counseling interns.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

7. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average school counseling internship salary by education level

School counseling interns with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $45,462 annually. With a Master's degree, school counseling interns earn a median annual income of $44,276 compared to $35,735 for school counseling interns with an Bachelor's degree.
School counseling internship education levelSchool counseling internship salary
Master's Degree$44,276
Bachelor's Degree$35,735
Doctorate Degree$45,462

School counseling 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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