Is a College Counseling Certificate Right for You?

Effective college counselors guide students in a variety of ways, including:

• Identifying the colleges and universities that may be a good fit 
• Exploring areas of study
• Guiding students and their families through the college admissions and application process
• Understanding how to finance a college education through the FAFSA process
• Helping students understand what colleges are looking for when it comes to admissions criteria (e.g., outside activities; entrance exams such as the SAT)

The UCLA Extension College Counseling Certificate program was created to train admissions officers, school counselors, educational consultants, high school administrators, and parents facilitate positive admissions experiences for college-bound students.

To be successful, college advising requires empathy, superior communication skills, and organization. 

What’s the Professional Benefit of a College Counseling Certificate? 

As most states move towards a renewed focus on college and career advising at the high school level, this certificate is the right complement to a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential or other school counseling degree. A College Counseling Certificate can boost your candidacy, translating to a more meaningful role in a school (public or private) setting. Institutions and individual clients alike consider a counseling certificate from UCLA Extension a beneficial qualification when hiring and elevating staff.