• Find a bachelor's degree




    Bachelors Degree Center is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Work­ing adults and oth­ers who are pay­ing their own way to get a degree in addic­tion and sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing have to con­sid­er cost. To find an afford­able Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing degree, you will need to look for small­er col­leges or uni­ver­si­ties or com­mu­ni­ty col­leges that have a sol­id rep­u­ta­tion for offer­ing qual­i­ty cours­es at cheap prices. There are many col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties that offer schol­ar­ships to new stu­dents who have the grades and meet their eli­gi­bil­i­ty require­ments. Stu­dents can also apply for dif­fer­ent types of stu­dent loans. While it’s bet­ter to try and avoid pri­vate loans, Stafford loans are some­what more affordable.

Earn­ing a Bach­e­lor’s degree in Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing or Sub­stance Abuse Coun­sel­ing, allows you to move beyond the bound­aries that may have con­fined you in the past. Take the ini­tia­tive and chart a course for suc­cess. Lay­ing the ground­work for your career is the key to build­ing a career you can be proud of.

Methodology: Ranking the Most Affordable Addiction Counseling Degree Programs

For the Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter rank­ing of the most afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams, edi­tors focused on accred­it­ed, trust­wor­thy insti­tu­tions. Pro­grams are ranked by actu­al tuition cost, accord­ing to cur­rent IPEDS data.

1. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas Rio Grande Val­ley has an afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree that offers stu­dents a chance to help oth­ers. Stu­dents learn the impact of addic­tion on fam­i­ly and com­mu­ni­ty as well as the indi­vid­ual and learn to make a pos­i­tive impact in oth­er peo­ple’s lives. The cur­ricu­lum includes human ser­vices coun­sel­ing, advo­ca­cy, and pol­i­cy­mak­ing cours­es. Stu­dents learn in a pro­gres­sive envi­ron­ment and take part in research ini­tia­tives for addic­tion counseling,

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas — Rio Grande Val­ley has 20,000 stu­dents. This above-aver­age school accepts four out of five of those who apply. Among dozens of majors, stu­dents can choose biol­o­gy, crim­i­nal jus­tice, psy­chol­o­gy, and oth­er pop­u­lar majors.

What We Like: Nine out of 10 stu­dents who study here receive some form of finan­cial aid.

Degree: BS in Addic­tion Studies

Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas Rio Grande Val­ley BS in Addic­tion Studies

2. Western New Mexico University

West­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty has one of the most afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams. Stu­dents can get their bac­calau­re­ate of sci­ence or arts in chem­i­cal depen­den­cy coun­sel­ing. Grad­u­ates emerge pre­pared to work in fields relat­ed to pre­ven­tion, coun­sel­ing, and admin­is­tra­tion of pro­grams relat­ed to chem­i­cal depen­den­cy. Some grad­u­ates work in pri­vate and pub­lic insti­tu­tions as clin­i­cal direc­tors, pro­gram direc­tors and case man­agers. The pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents for work in adult and ado­les­cent treat­ment settings.

West­ern New Mex­i­co accepts all stu­dents who apply and has 1,100 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. This small uni­ver­si­ty has a num­ber of inter­est­ing majors such as social work, weld­ing and busi­ness. Approx­i­mate­ly 81% of stu­dents found jobs with­in two years of grad­u­a­tion, which is just under the nation­al average.

What We Like: About 86% of stu­dents sur­veyed felt con­fi­dent that they would find jobs in their field after graduation.

Degree: BS or BA in Chem­i­cal Depen­den­cy Counseling

West­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty BS or BA in Chem­i­cal Depen­den­cy Counseling

3. Northwestern State University of Louisiana

The afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree at North­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty of Louisiana con­fers a bach­e­lor’s degree in addic­tion stud­ies or psy­chol­o­gy that pro­vides stu­dents with an under­stand­ing of how the human mind works. This is a fast-grow­ing field and employ­ers need can­di­dates with the abil­i­ty to col­lect and inter­pret data and under­stand human behav­ior. Both addic­tion stud­ies and psy­chol­o­gy are great majors for those who want to work in com­mu­ni­ca­tions or human resources.

North­west­ern State Louisiana has 6,300 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and is locat­ed in Natchi­toches, LA. This well-regard­ed school accepts 82% of those who apply, mak­ing it a mod­er­ate­ly com­pet­i­tive school to get into. Stu­dents who accept the invi­ta­tion to pur­sue their edu­ca­tion here choose majors such as lib­er­al arts and human­i­ties and psy­chol­o­gy, among many oth­er avail­able courses.

What We Like: North­west­ern State Louisiana is the num­ber 6 top pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty in the state

Degree: BS in Addic­tion Studies

North­west­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Addic­tion Studies

4. Washburn University

Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty’s afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree results in a BS in addic­tion coun­sel­ing for grad­u­ates. Cours­es include nine hours of arts and human­i­ties, nine hours of nat­ur­al sci­ence and math­e­mat­ics, and nine hours of social sci­ences. The cur­ricu­lum empha­sizes diver­si­ty and aims to pre­pare stu­dents for careers in addic­tion counseling.

At Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty, 92% of stu­dents receive some form of stu­dent aid, and 89% of stu­dents sur­veyed believe that teach­ers put a lot of effort into their class­es. Four out of five stu­dents sur­veyed thought it was easy to get the class­es they need and 75% found their work­load manageable.

What We Like: Wash­burn is the num­ber 6 top-rat­ed uni­ver­si­ty in Kansas.

Degree: BAS in Addic­tion Counseling

Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty BAS in Addic­tion Counseling

5. Purdue University Global

Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al has an afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree design for stu­dents who have a pas­sion for help­ing oth­ers. Those suf­fer­ing from sub­stance use dis­or­ders need a vari­ety of holis­tic and evi­dence-based ther­a­py. This pro­gram gives stu­dents a firm foun­da­tion in psy­chol­o­gy and oth­er sub­jects need­ed to help those recov­er­ing from addic­tion. There are many indi­vid­u­als suf­fer­ing from the phys­i­cal and psy­cho­log­i­cal trau­ma of addic­tion. Addic­tion pro­fes­sion­als help indi­vid­u­als improve their qual­i­ty of life and con­tin­ue their recov­ery journey.

Found­ed in 1869, Pur­due West Lafayette was found­ed in 1869 and start­ed out as a land-grant uni­ver­si­ty. The school now has online cours­es avail­able through Pur­due Glob­al. Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al — Indi­anapo­lis has just 4,800 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents, and this small online uni­ver­si­ty accepts all stu­dents who apply. Pur­due Glob­al offers an array of majors such as nutri­tion, crim­i­nal jus­tice and oth­er diverse courses.

What We Like: The school’s gen­er­ous accep­tance pol­i­cy gives stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to pur­sue high­er edu­ca­tion even if they did­n’t have a stel­lar GPA in high school.

Degree: BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Addictions

Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Addictions

6. University of Maine at Augusta

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Maine at Augus­ta is anoth­er afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree. Grad­u­ates earn a BS in men­tal health and human ser­vices. The school also offers two-year and grad­u­ate pro­grams and men­tal health and human ser­vices. Stu­dents tai­lor their cur­ricu­lum to match their career aspi­ra­tions which may include work­ing with ado­les­cents, young chil­dren, and adults.

UMA is the third-largest uni­ver­si­ty in the state and has 42 loca­tions. The school offers an array of cours­es to make it eas­i­er for stu­dents in remote areas to com­plete their edu­ca­tion. UMA is also focused on mak­ing it eas­i­er for Maine res­i­dents who wish to change careers or fur­ther their edu­ca­tion with­out uproot­ing their fam­i­lies or quit­ting their jobs.

What We Like: The school accepts every­one who applies and 90% of stu­dents get some form of finan­cial aid.

Degree: Men­tal Health and Human Ser­vices BS — Sub­stance Abuse

Uni­ver­si­ty of Maine at Augus­ta Men­tal Health and Human Ser­vices BS — Sub­stance Abuse

7. Fort Hays State University

Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty has one of the most afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree pro­grams. Stu­dents can earn a BA or BS depend­ing on their career plans. This degree in soci­ol­o­gy addic­tion coun­sel­ing helps pave the way for stu­dents to become licensed addic­tion coun­selors in Kansas. Addic­tion coun­selors work with groups and indi­vid­u­als in numer­ous set­tings that facil­i­tate recov­ery and pre­ven­tion as well as cri­sis care.

Fort Hays has 5,700 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and accepts 91% of those who apply. Those who take advan­tage of this gen­er­ous admis­sions rate may study majors as diverse as oper­a­tions man­age­ment and lib­er­al arts.

What We Like: Fort Hays is among the state’s top five pub­lic schools.

Degree: BA/BS in Soci­ol­o­gy — Addic­tion Counseling

Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty BA/BS in Soci­ol­o­gy — Addic­tion Counseling

8. Eastern Kentucky University

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty also has an afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree. EKU offers an online degree in psy­chol­o­gy that focus­es on psy­chi­atric reha­bil­i­ta­tion, pro­vid­ing stu­dents with the infor­ma­tion they need to earn entry-lev­el men­tal health careers. Grad­u­ates often go on to sit for and pass the exam­i­na­tions for the Psy­chi­atric Reha­bil­i­ta­tion Prac­ti­tion­er (CPRP) certification.

East­ern Ken­tucky is a mid-sized school with near­ly 10,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Locat­ed in Rich­mond, Ken­tucky, it accepts 94% of those who apply. The uni­ver­si­ty offers a pletho­ra of majors in the sci­ences, lib­er­al arts, and every­thing in between.

What We Like: Two years after grad­u­a­tion, 90% of grad­u­ates inter­viewed said they found jobs in their field. This com­pares favor­ably with and 83% nation­al average.

Degree: BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Addic­tion Counseling

East­ern Ken­tucky Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Psy­chol­o­gy — Addic­tion Counseling

9. University of Central Arkansas

Stu­dents who choose the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Arkansas will find an afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree pro­gram. Stu­dents who want an excit­ing career with plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties often grad­u­ate from this pro­gram to work at the fore­front of one of the nation’s cen­tral social prob­lems, addic­tion. Addic­tion coun­sel­ing and pre­ven­tion can save lives and help pre­vent future gen­er­a­tions from suc­cumb­ing to sub­stance use dis­or­ders. Grad­u­ates often go on to work for the state of Arkansas in pro­grams for those recov­er­ing from addic­tion. Stu­dents who com­plete their BS in addic­tion stud­ies often go on to work in out­pa­tient clin­ics, hos­pi­tals, schools, employ­ee assis­tance pro­grams and the crim­i­nal jus­tice system.

Cen­tral Arkansas has 7,600 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and is phys­i­cal­ly locat­ed in Lit­tle Rock, AR. The school has a gen­er­ous accep­tance pol­i­cy and nine out of 10 stu­dents who apply here received the green light to begin their fresh­man year. The school offers a pletho­ra of majors includ­ing biol­o­gy, busi­ness and psychology.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Arkansas is among the state’s top three pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties, offer­ing stu­dents both an afford­able and high-qual­i­ty education.

Degree: BS in Addic­tion Studies

Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Arkansas BS in Addic­tion Studies

10. Empire State College (SUNY)

Stu­dents who come to Empire State Col­lege SUNY dis­cov­er an afford­able addic­tion coun­sel­ing degree with sev­er­al options for those who want to tai­lor their edu­ca­tion toward their career aspi­ra­tions. The major requires 124 cred­its and focus­es on prepar­ing stu­dents for entry-lev­el jobs in the field. On the oth­er hand, many under­grad­u­ate stu­dents go on to obtain their master’s degrees. This aca­d­e­m­i­cal­ly robust pro­gram helps stu­dents gain fun­da­men­tal knowl­edge of how addic­tion works and how it impacts indi­vid­u­als. Stu­dents also under­stand how addic­tion affects the larg­er com­mu­ni­ty sur­round­ing the per­son with sub­stance use disorders.

Empire State Col­lege is locat­ed in Sarato­ga Springs, NY. This well-regard­ed pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty has just 3,300 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. The school has a very gen­er­ous accep­tance pol­i­cy. Every­one who applies has an oppor­tu­ni­ty to study at Empire State. Some of the most pop­u­lar majors include com­mu­ni­ty orga­ni­za­tion and advo­ca­cy and psychology.

What We Like: Since 89% of stu­dents receive some form of finan­cial aid, Empire State Col­lege is one of the most afford­able schools in the state.

Degree: BS in Addic­tion Studies

Empire State Col­lege SUNY BS in Addic­tion Studies

How Do I Find an Affordable Bachelor’s in Addiction Counseling?

The best way to pay for col­lege is to look up local schol­ar­ships and grant pro­grams that you are qual­i­fied for. Even if you are an old­er stu­dent who has just decid­ed to return to school in order to make a career change, you can apply for schol­ar­ships from a num­ber of local orga­ni­za­tions. The gov­ern­ment, as well as orga­ni­za­tions that sup­port addic­tion recov­ery, also offer sev­er­al schol­ar­ships and grants that you may want to look into.

Don’t for­get, you can earn as many schol­ar­ships as you want to help defer the cost of your edu­ca­tion. The key is to spend the mon­ey wise­ly so that most of your edu­ca­tion­al expens­es are paid for first. One of the biggest chal­lenges for stu­dents when it comes to man­ag­ing mon­ey is to make sure all of their small­er expens­es are cov­ered. When­ev­er col­lege funds are received, ear­mark it for only edu­ca­tion­al pur­pos­es. This ensures you have what you need when you need it and you won’t have to wor­ry about cov­er­ing the cost of it later.

Can I Work Part-Time or Online as a Substance Abuse Counselor?

With addic­tion or sub­stance abuse coun­sel­ing, you can work any hours you choose. Work­ing part-time will allow you to get used to many of the chal­lenges you will face. You can choose to work full-time but make sure you don’t over­do it. In order for you to be able to help oth­ers, you first need to take care of your­self. Prac­tic­ing self-care is not an option. It is a pri­or­i­ty that you must always fol­low. As a sub­stance abuse coun­selor, you also have the option to work online. Many peo­ple may not be able to make it to you or may have to lim­it their expo­sure to oth­ers due to COVID-19 restrictions.

As an inde­pen­dent sub­stance abuse coun­selor, you can set your own hours. Offer­ing the option to coun­sel your patients online is a great way to offer your ser­vices to more patients who may not have the abil­i­ty to trav­el to you. It also gives them an oppor­tu­ni­ty to seek treat­ment while still remain­ing in their com­fort zone. Addic­tion and sub­stance abuse can lead to para­noia which pre­vents many patients from seek­ing the treat­ment that they so des­per­ate­ly need. Offer­ing online coun­sel­ing ser­vices allows them to get what they need in terms of sup­port while still feel­ing secure and safe in their own environment.

How Much Can I Make with a Bachelor’s in Addiction Counseling?

The amount of mon­ey you can earn with a Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing will depend on how much you plan on work­ing. If you do choose to work full-time, either online or on staff at a facil­i­ty, you can start out mak­ing around $30,000 per year. The more expe­ri­ence you have and the more time you put into your work will dra­mat­i­cal­ly increase your earn­ing poten­tial. Peo­ple with sev­er­al years of expe­ri­ence can expect to make around $63,000 per year on aver­age. The more effort you put into your career, the more you will earn.

A Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Coun­sel­ing gives you the means to forge your own path in terms of set­ting your own hours and build­ing a career that you can count on for the next sev­er­al years. If you feel more com­fort­able work­ing as part of a team in a facil­i­ty, you can explore more career options as you begin to move up the lad­der and begin to pur­sue man­age­ment positions.

After you receive your degree, the val­ue you place on it will be up to you. You can set the amount of mon­ey you want to make on a week­ly or month­ly basis and then work to achieve that goal. Once you have your goals in place, you can set your own hours and begin to live your best life.

Relat­ed Rankings:

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling

10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Addic­tion Counseling