EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

School Counsellor

Supports students with stress, behaviour, studies and personal problems, and guides them on subject choices.

Any Class 12 stream; Psychology or Humanities helps After a degree Private sector

Facts checked 29/10/2026

Is this for me?

People in this work enjoy

Helping a young person see a problem more clearly
A mix of one-to-one talks, workshops and parent meetings
Watching students grow over several years in one school

It may not suit you if you dislike

Heavy cases, including self-harm, family conflict and abuse, that stay with you
Pay and job security can be modest, and small schools may offer only part-time posts
Strict confidentiality limits what you can share, and the work can feel lonely

Class 11–12 subjects: Any Class 12 stream can lead here. If you want the direct psychology route, Psychology or another Humanities subject in Class 11 and 12 gives you a head start. Good marks help for college admission, but no single subject is compulsory.
First degree: BA or BSc in Psychology (3 years), then an MA in Counselling or Guidance and Counselling (2 years). Another graduation plus a PG diploma in school counselling is also accepted.
Entrance exams: No single national entrance exam for this career. MA admissions are made by each university, and some use CUET-PG.
Licence or registration: None needed to start working.

Open to every streamAny Class 12 stream; Psychology or Humanities helps.Check your subjects against every career

What the work is like

Meeting students one-to-one and in small groups about stress, friendships, exam worry, attendance and behaviour; helping students choose subjects and streams; talking with parents; running workshops on life skills and career options; referring serious cases to a doctor or clinical psychologist.

A day in the work
The morning often starts with a few walk-in students who need to talk before class, such as a Class 10 student worried about boards. Through the day you may take one-to-one sessions, run a small group on exam stress, and sit in on a meeting with a teacher about a student who is falling behind. Some afternoons go to phone calls or a parent meeting, and you write short notes that follow the school's confidentiality rules.

The path, step by step

Step 1 · Class 11–12Choose a stream you can do well in. Psychology or another Humanities subject helps if you want the BA or BSc Psychology route. Keep your marks steady, because college admission depends on them.
Step 2 · After Class 12Take a three-year BA or BSc, preferably in Psychology. Education, Social Work or Sociology also suit this career.
Step 3 · After graduationDo an MA in Counselling, Guidance and Counselling, or Psychology. Alternatively, do a PG diploma in school counselling or child guidance.
Step 4 · During or after the postgraduate courseComplete a 50-hour capacity-building programme recognised by CBSE in psycho-social and career counselling. CBSE asks for this training from its counsellors. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 5 · HiringApply to schools. CBSE schools must have a wellness counsellor and a career counsellor for groups of up to 500 students in Classes 9 to 12. Schools with fewer than 300 students may use part-time counsellors. Other boards and state schools have their own rules. (reported — check with the official body)

Ways in

Psychology degree, then MABA or BSc in Psychology, then an MA in Counselling or Guidance and Counselling. This is the most direct route.
Any degree plus a diplomaAny graduation, then a recognised PG diploma in school counselling or child guidance. Schools accept this route for the wellness counsellor post.
Career counsellor from a teaching backgroundA school may name a trained teacher as career counsellor if no counsellor is available. That teacher must finish the qualifications within two academic years.

Time and money

Stage	Time	Government college or body	Private college	Help available
Class 11–12 (Psychology or Humanities stream)	2 years	Your school's fees	Your school's fees	—
CUET (PG) entrance exam, if the MA university uses it	1 day exam	Check the notice: CUET (PG) 2026 fee General ₹1,400 (up to two papers); Gen-EWS/OBC-NCL ₹1,200; SC/ST/Third Gender ₹1,100; PwD ₹1,000	Check the notice: CUET (PG) 2026 fee applies if the private university uses it	—
BA or BSc in Psychology (degree route)	3 years	Delhi University NCWEB B.A. (Prog) 2026–27: tuition nil; about ₹2,900 per year in welfare and development fund components (not a Psychology honours fee)	Check the college's fee page	Scholarships exist; check with the college. No official stipend found.
MA in Counselling or Guidance and Counselling (after degree)	2 years	Check the college's fee page	DIT University (Uttarakhand) M.A. in Counselling Psychology 2026–27: tuition ₹51,650 plus academic services fee ₹34,950 per instalment; ₹86,600 per instalment for All India category; about ₹1,73,200 for year one	Uttarakhand/Himalayan state quota: ₹73,688 per instalment (DIT University). No official stipend found.
Alternative: any graduation plus PG diploma in school counselling (instead of MA)	Check the college's fee page	Check the college's fee page	Check the college's fee page	—
CBSE-recognised 50-hour capacity-building programme (reported)	50 hours (reported)	Check the notice of the training provider	Check the notice of the training provider	Cost not stated on the page.

Total timeAbout 5 years after Class 12 (3-year degree plus 2-year MA)

Total costDepends mostly on the college you choose — compare fee pages.

Good to knowNo licence is needed, but the rules come from each school board; the 50-hour CBSE training cost is not on the page, and the PG diploma route has no fee figures.

Fees from: CUET (PG) 2026 NTA Information Bulletin (fee table) · University of Delhi Bulletin of Information 2026-27, NCWEB B.A. (Prog) fee structure · DIT University M.A. in Counselling Psychology fee structure 2026-27. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

What people earn

Pay varies a lot. It depends on whether you work in a private school, a CBSE school, a Kendriya Vidyalaya contract post or a small school, and on your city and experience. Contract posts at KVS have fixed monthly pay, but the figures in different notices do not match, so check the latest notice.

Myth and fact

Myth: ~~A psychology degree makes you a licensed therapist who can treat students' mental illnesses.~~

Fact: A school counsellor supports students and refers serious cases to clinical professionals. Treating mental illness needs further clinical training and licensing.

Try it now

Class 7–9Read the Class 11 Psychology textbook chapters on learning and behaviour, and note one idea you can explain to a friend.Open link ↗
Class 10–12Ask your school counsellor or class teacher what their work involves. Note three questions a student might bring to them.
College or afterTake a free NPTEL course on psychology or human behaviour, and write a one-page summary of what you learnt.Open link ↗

Good to know

No council licenses school counsellors in India. The rules come from each school board, so check the rules for your school's board.
A school counsellor supports and guides. Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness belong to a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
Under CBSE's January 2026 changes, the wellness counsellor and the career counsellor are separate posts. Students may meet both.

Sources: CBSE circular CBSE/M&PR/Counseling/Mapping/2024 (26 June 2024), on the official CBSE site · Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Contractual Staff with Salary (FAQ page; figures may be dated) · ETV Bharat, report on CBSE's January 2026 counsellor norms (news report; the circular itself was not opened, so reported)