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2025 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools

414 Colleges in the United States
36,293 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$54,163 Avg Early-Career Salary
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #33 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 414 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 36,293 degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology School

Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools Your choice of clinical, counseling & applied psychology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for clinical, counseling & applied psychology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Clinical Psychology
Bachelor's Degrees in Clinical Psychology
Master's Degrees in Clinical Psychology
Doctor's Degrees in Clinical Psychology

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the clinical psychology degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Clinical Psychology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In NY
51 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded

Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York

2
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
15.1% Growth in Graduates

Boston College is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great college overall.

There were about 146 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Boston College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,384.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Boston College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Psychology Program Name

Advance in your human services or psychology career, or prepare for graduate studies in a variety of fields at Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
347 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
23.1% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 347 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $43,591 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Northwestern University

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$52,641 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 117 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the clinical psychology program report average early career wages of $52,641.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Pennsylvania

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
1.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 118 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of about $17,334 over the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Southern California

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$58,490 Median Starting Salary

DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver. This university ranks 3rd out of 31 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 180 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year. Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their degree from University of Denver make $4,326 more than the standard clinical psychology grad.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Denver

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
16.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 59 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their degree from Northeastern University receive $4,639 more than the average clinical psychology graduate.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Northeastern University

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MS in Psychology Program Name

Our Master of Science in Psychology program is designed to extend your knowledge and discipline in psychology, preparing you for a wide variety of professions and contexts.

More information about a degree in MS in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
6.7% Growth in Graduates

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. This university ranks 9th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 105 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology major at Santa Clara University make $11,378 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Santa Clara University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
663 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu. This university ranks 11th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 663 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn around $54,983 for their early career.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pepperdine University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$65,669 Median Starting Salary

Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 176 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology major at Texas A&M University - College Station make $11,505 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station

11
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In FL

UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. This university ranks 1st out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 23 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Florida

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
484 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
7.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Melbourne, Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. This school ranks 9th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 484 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Florida Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology degree recipients from Florida Institute of Technology earn a boost of approximately $9,894 above the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Florida Institute of Technology

13
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In TN
44.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 9 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Vanderbilt University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$65,374 Median Starting Salary

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. This university ranks 4th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 118 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Loyola University Chicago get $11,211 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Chicago

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
208 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
16.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 208 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn around $26,953 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of California - San Diego

16
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$65,358 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 21st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 176 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their degree from University of San Francisco receive $11,195 more than the typical clinical psychology student.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of San Francisco

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 49 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, clinical psychology degree recipients generally earn an average of $39,808 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Chicago

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

UCONN is a very large public university located in the town of Storrs. This university ranks 3rd out of 18 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were about 40 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $55,022 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Connecticut

19
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,047 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
3.8% Growth in Graduates

National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 37th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 1047 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at National University earn $3,671 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from National University

20
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology crest
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Palo Alto, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 198 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in the most recent data year. Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their degree from Palo Alto University make $9,340 more than the standard clinical psychology student.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Palo Alto University

21
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$80,143 Median Starting Salary

Hofstra is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Hempstead. This university ranks 28th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 88 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Hofstra in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology major at Hofstra University earn $25,979 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Hofstra University

22
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$51,951 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were about 55 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make around $51,951 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Boston University

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
6.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology degree recipients from George Washington University earn a boost of around $11,122 above the typical earnings of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from George Washington University

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
299 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
33.8% Growth in Graduates

Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside. This university ranks 66th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 299 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at Cal Baptist in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $55,299 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from California Baptist University

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Clinical Psychology Degrees Awarded
$66,912 Median Starting Salary

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. This university ranks 3rd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were about 72 clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their degree from University of Georgia receive $12,749 more than the average clinical psychology grad.

More information about a degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Georgia

Rest of the Top 50 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools

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27
28
29
NUS Florida crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL
30
31
32

33
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

34
35
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
36
37
38
39
40
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
41
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, NY

42

43
44
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
45
46
47
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 414 different United States clinical, counseling & applied psychology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Yeshiva University New York, NY
52 National Louis University Chicago, IL
53 Baylor University Waco, TX
54 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
55 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
56 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
57 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
58 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
59 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
60 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
61 Queens College Queens, NY
62 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
63 La Salle University Philadelphia, PA
64 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
65 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
66 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
67 University of La Verne La Verne, CA
68 Pacific University Forest Grove, OR
69 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
70 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
71 DePaul University Chicago, IL
72 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
73 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
74 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
75 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
76 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
77 Hunter College New York, NY
78 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
79 Seattle University Seattle, WA
80 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
81 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
82 University of Houston Houston, TX

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology students that almost earned our Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools award.

Rank College Location
83 George Fox University Newberg, OR
84 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
85 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
86 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
87 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
88 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
89 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
90 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
91 Clemson University Clemson, SC
92 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
93 Illinois State University Normal, IL
94 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA
95 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
96 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
97 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
98 University of North Texas Denton, TX
99 University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK
100 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
101 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL
102 Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, CA
103 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
104 Salve Regina University Newport, RI
105 Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA
106 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
107 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
108 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
109 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
110 Roosevelt University Chicago, IL
111 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
112 Chaminade University of Honolulu Honolulu, HI
113 Chestnut Hill College Philadelphia, PA
114 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
115 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
116 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI
117 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
118 Widener University Chester, PA
119 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
120 University of Delaware Newark, DE
121 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
122 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
123 Pace University - New York New York, NY
124 University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ
125 Touro College New York, NY
126 University at Albany Albany, NY
127 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
128 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
129 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
130 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
131 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
132 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
133 Biola University La Mirada, CA
134 Endicott College Beverly, MA
135 California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA
136 The City College of New York New York, NY
137 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott Prescott, AZ
138 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology by Region

View the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Clinical Psychology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Counseling Psychology 10,225
Clinical Psychology 5,507
Applied Behavior Analysis 5,459
School Psychology 3,645
Forensic Psychology 2,491
Industrial & Organizational Psychology 2,488
Applied Psychology 2,441
Educational Psychology 1,980
Community Psychology 697
Other Psychology & Counseling 630

View All Clinical Psychology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 143,648
Child Development & Psychology 19,646
Other Psychology 2,728

View All Clinical Psychology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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