2026 Best Nuclear Engineering Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best Nuclear Engineering graduate certificate degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 40 institutions by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
So you can compare your options, Course Advisor analyzed schools to produce this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Nuclear Engineering Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Explore the leading schools below:
Leading the list is Texas A And M University College Station, our #1 Nuclear Engineering school in the United States. Based in College Station, TX, Texas A And M University College Station is a public institution. Texas A And M University College Station graduates 84% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $12,995, while out-of-state students pay about $40,124. The median Nuclear Engineering program debt is $18,471. Read more about Texas A And M University College Station
Out of the 40 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus landed the #2 spot. University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus posts a six-year graduation rate of 86%. In-state tuition and fees run about $21,926, compared with $41,430 for out-of-state students. The median Nuclear Engineering program debt is $27,000. See the full University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus profile
Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University came in at #3 on this year's Nuclear Engineering ranking in the United States. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a public school based in Blacksburg, VA. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University graduates 86% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $15,948, while out-of-state students pay about $37,764. The median Nuclear Engineering program debt is $23,393. More on Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University
The University Of Tennessee came in at #4 on this year's Nuclear Engineering ranking in the United States. Based in Knoxville, TN, The University Of Tennessee is a public institution. The University Of Tennessee graduates 74% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,812, with out-of-state students paying around $33,256. Students borrow a median of $23,000 to complete their Nuclear Engineering program here. More on The University Of Tennessee
Out of the 40 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, University Of Idaho landed the #5 spot. University Of Idaho is a public school based in Moscow, ID. The six-year graduation rate is 57%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,084, compared with $28,320 for out-of-state students. Typical Nuclear Engineering student debt is $23,844. More on University Of Idaho
University Of Wisconsin Madison ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best Nuclear Engineering schools. Read more about University Of Wisconsin Madison
Pennsylvania State University Penn State Harrisburg came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Get the full Pennsylvania State University Penn State Harrisburg report
United States Military Academy came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on United States Military Academy
University Of Washington Seattle Campus did well this year, earning the #9 position. Get the full University Of Washington Seattle Campus report
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign placed #10 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. Read more about University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
South Carolina State University landed the #11 spot in the United States this year. Get the full South Carolina State University report
University Of Maryland College Park landed the #12 spot in the United States this year. Read more about University Of Maryland College Park
Pennsylvania State University Main Campus landed the #13 spot in the United States this year. More on Pennsylvania State University Main Campus
Idaho State University placed #14 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. More on Idaho State University
Oregon State University did well this year, earning the #15 position. See the full Oregon State University profile
Washington State University landed the #16 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Washington State University report
Air Force Institute Of Technology Graduate School Of Engineering And Management came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Air Force Institute Of Technology Graduate School Of Engineering And Management
Pennsylvania State University World Campus came in at #18 in this year's ranking. See the full Pennsylvania State University World Campus profile
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #19 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Cornell University placed #20 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. Read the full report on Cornell University
Missouri University Of Science And Technology landed the #21 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Missouri University Of Science And Technology
Tennessee Technological University ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best Nuclear Engineering schools. Read the full report on Tennessee Technological University
Kansas State University did well this year, earning the #23 position. More on Kansas State University
Naval Postgraduate School did well this year, earning the #24 position. Get the full Naval Postgraduate School report
Colorado School Of Mines placed #25 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. More on Colorado School Of Mines
Rest of the Top 15% Best Nuclear Engineering Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also placed among the very best this year:
United States Naval Academy landed the #26 spot in the United States this year. Get the full United States Naval Academy report
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor came in at #27 in this year's ranking. See the full University Of Michigan Ann Arbor profile
Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus did well this year, earning the #28 position. Read the full report on Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus
Worcester Polytechnic Institute placed #29 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. More on Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Ohio State University Main Campus landed the #30 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Ohio State University Main Campus report
Wilberforce University did well this year, earning the #31 position. Read the full report on Wilberforce University
University At Buffalo landed the #32 spot in the United States this year. Read more about University At Buffalo
University Of Utah landed the #33 spot in the United States this year. Get the full University Of Utah report
University Of Florida ranked #34 on our 2026 list of the best Nuclear Engineering schools. More on University Of Florida
University Of California Berkeley landed the #35 spot in the United States this year. Read more about University Of California Berkeley
North Carolina State University At Raleigh came in at #36 in this year's ranking. More on North Carolina State University At Raleigh
University Of New Mexico Main Campus did well this year, earning the #37 position. Read the full report on University Of New Mexico Main Campus
Purdue University Main Campus landed the #38 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Purdue University Main Campus report
University Of South Carolina Columbia landed the #39 spot in the United States this year. Get the full University Of South Carolina Columbia report
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology placed #40 among Nuclear Engineering schools in the United States. Read the full report on Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Related Nuclear Engineering Rankings
See rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Nuclear Engineering Schools (All Levels)
- Best Nuclear Engineering Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Nuclear Engineering Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Nuclear Engineering Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Nuclear Engineering Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Nuclear Engineering Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 40 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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