Youth counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a youth counselor. Youth counselors usually study psychology, criminal justice, or business. 58% of youth counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 35,386 real youth counselor resumes to see exactly what youth counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for youth counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain youth counselor certifications that you should consider. These youth counselor certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Pastoral Counseling Certification.

What education do you need to become a youth counselor?

What degree do you need to be a youth counselor?

The most common degree for youth counselors is bachelor's degree, with 58% of youth counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 58%

Associate, 17%

High School Diploma, 12%

Master's, 8%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a youth counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a youth counselor. 22% of youth counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a youth counselor include criminal justice and business.

Psychology, 22%

Criminal Justice, 19%

Business, 8%

Social Work, 8%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for youth counselors

Youth counselors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Iowa, and University of Louisville. Here are the most common colleges for youth counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Youth counselor common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	16.38%
University of Iowa	6.47%
University of Louisville	5.82%
Miami Dade College	5.66%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	5.17%

Show more common youth counselor colleges

Best majors for youth counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	22.2%
2	Criminal Justice	19.0%
3	Business	8.4%
4	Social Work	8.3%
5	Sociology	7.1%

Show more common youth counselor majors

Best colleges for youth counselors

The best colleges for youth counselors are Boston University, Boston College, and Northwestern University.

A youth 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 youth 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 youth counselors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

5. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

6. Coppin State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,873

Enrollment

2,326

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

9. Marist College

Poughkeepsie, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$39,600

Enrollment

5,405

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for youth counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for youth counselors

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

If the best universities for youth 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 youth 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. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for youth counselors

The hardest universities for youth counselors to get into are Boston University, Boston College, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for youth 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 youth 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 University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for youth counselors

The easiest schools for youth 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 youth 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 youth 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. 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. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

9. Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

10. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

Average youth counselor salary by education level

According to our data, youth counselors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $40,201 annually. Youth counselors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $34,480.

Youth counselor education level	Youth counselor salary
Master's Degree	$40,201
Bachelor's Degree	$34,480

Youth counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Youth Counselors?

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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

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