Best Counselor, All Other programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
All counselors not listed.
50 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,807 people a year. The job pays a median of $49,360 in Illinois across about 760 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 44.0701In Illinois → | 2,620 | 68.8% | 36 | $37,264 | $26,140 |
| 2 | CIP 42.2803In Illinois → | 961 | 25.2% | 15 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0701In Illinois → | 147 | 3.9% | 8 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 51.1506In Illinois → | 41 | 1.1% | 2 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 5 | CIP 39.0799In Illinois → | 38 | 1.0% | 6 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 50 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 745 | Social Work | $38,382 | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 344 | Social Work | — | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 3 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 312 | Counseling Psychology | — | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 257 | Social Work | $36,815 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 5 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 205 | Social Work | — | 62% | — | 77% |
| 6 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 201 | Social Work | — | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 7 | Adler University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 190 | Counseling Psychology | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 153 | Counseling Psychology | — | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 9 | Chamberlain University - Illinois Addison, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 150 | Social Work | — | 42% | $29,024 | 83% |
| 10 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 112 | Social Work | $39,178 | 22% | — | 75% |
| 11 | The Chicago School at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 107 | Counseling Psychology | — | — | — | 34% |
| 12 | Dominican University River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 86 | Social Work | — | 55% | $16,176 | 90% |
| 13 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 84 | Social Work | $39,041 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 14 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 78 | Social Work | $34,664 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 15 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 72 | Social Work | $44,133 | 22% | — | 48% |
| 16 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Counseling Psychology | — | 35% | $21,085 | 97% |
| 17 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Social Work | — | 67% | $17,632 | 71% |
| 18 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Social Work | — | 67% | $15,591 | 65% |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Social Work | $36,974 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 20 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 42 | Social Work | $31,720 | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 21 | Trinity International University - Illinois Deerfield, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 42 | Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | — | 46% | $20,539 | 100% |
| 22 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Counseling Psychology | — | 53% | — | 86% |
| 23 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $35,426 | 62% | $24,848 | 83% |
| 24 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Social Work | — | 58% | $15,126 | 85% |
| 25 | City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy - King College Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Social Work | — | 31% | — | — |
All 50 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora University | Aurora | Private not-for-profit | 745 | 1 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 344 | 4 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 312 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 257 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 205 | 1 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 201 | 2 |
| Adler University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 190 | 1 |
| National Louis University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 153 | 2 |
| Chamberlain University - Illinois | Addison | Private for-profit | 150 | 1 |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public | 112 | 1 |
| The Chicago School at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 107 | 1 |
| Dominican University | River Forest | Private not-for-profit | 86 | 1 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 84 | 2 |
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 78 | 1 |
| Governors State University | University Park | Public | 72 | 2 |
What counselors, all other earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $50,860. Illinois pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Counselors, All Other page.
How to become a Counselor, All Other
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 8 majors mapped to Counselors, All Other7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.5301Thanatology
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0799Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other
- 42.2803Counseling Psychology
- 44.0701Social Work
- 51.1506Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling
- 51.1510Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services(no graduates reported)
- 52.1006Executive/Career Coaching
Common questions
Answers for people weighing counselors, all other programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Counselor, All Other?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Social Work, which awarded 2,620 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 68.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Counselor, All Other?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Social Work, Clinical, Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. Together they graduate about 3,807 people a year in Illinois.
How much do counselors, all other earn in Illinois?+
The median is $49,360 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.9% below the U.S. median of $50,860. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for counselors, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +12.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 7,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
50 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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