2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You
With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 272 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in the United States for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Morningside College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Sentinel University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Aurora.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Sentinel University are $6,920 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Marty University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the remote town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mount Marty are $9,650 per year.
Mount Marty also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at West Coast University - Orange County helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
West Coast University - Orange County graduate students pay an average of $10,989 in tuition and fees each year.
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West Coast University - Dallas ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Dallas, West Coast University - Dallas is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
West Coast University - Dallas graduate students pay an average of $10,735 in tuition and fees each year.
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Youngstown State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 a year.
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Delta State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the remote town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 a year.
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Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing are $8,740 per year.
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Clarkson College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Omaha, Clarkson College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Clarkson College graduate students pay an average of $12,294 in tuition and fees each year.
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Mayo Clinic School of Medicine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine are $22,716 per year.
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Grand Canyon University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.
Grand Canyon University graduate students pay an average of $11,538 in tuition and fees each year.
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Concordia University, Wisconsin ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Mequon, Concordia University, Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Wisconsin are $11,760 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Concordia University, Wisconsin also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
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Herzing University - Madison came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Herzing University - Madison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.
Herzing University - Madison graduate students pay an average of $11,680 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Herzing University - Madison also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
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Wheeling University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. Wheeling University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wheeling.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Wheeling University are $10,160 per year.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MSU Moorhead are $11,052 per year.
MSU Moorhead also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Liberty University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 a year.
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Winona State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Winona State also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #20, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the remote area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Graceland Lamoni are $11,187 a year.
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Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at PLNU are $11,880 a year.
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With a ranking of #22, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Saint Francis are $13,839 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, University of Saint Francis is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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With a ranking of #23, Briar Cliff University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Briar Cliff are $10,530 per year.
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Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
Chamberlain - Illinois graduate students pay an average of $14,090 in tuition and fees each year.
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Illinois State University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College | Saint Louis, MO |
| 42 | Research College of Nursing | Kansas City, MO |
| 43 | Cedar Crest College | Allentown, PA |
| 44 | Saint Joseph’s College of Maine | Standish, ME |
| 45 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 46 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 47 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 48 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 49 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, IN |
| 50 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 51 | Anderson University South Carolina | Anderson, SC |
| 52 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, IL |
| 53 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 54 | Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions | Provo, UT |
Nursing by Region
View the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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