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.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Colleges.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 a year.
Out of the 272 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 per year.
Out of the 272 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American Sentinel University landed the # 3 spot on the list. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Aurora.
American Sentinel University graduate students pay an average of $6,920 in tuition and fees each year.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Mount Marty University is a great value for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Mount Marty graduate students pay an average of $9,650 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mount Marty also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Orange County. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at West Coast University - Orange County are $10,989 per year.
West Coast University - Dallas landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the large city of Dallas, West Coast University - Dallas is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at West Coast University - Dallas are $10,735 per year.
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 school with a fairly large student population.
Youngstown State University graduate students pay an average of $6,931 in tuition and fees each year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Delta 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 #9 on the list. Located in the remote town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public college with a small student population.
Delta State University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #10, Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the medium-sized 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.
Full Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing Report
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 college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Clarkson College are $12,294 a year.
With a ranking of #12, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine graduate students pay an average of $22,716 in tuition and fees each year.
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 very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grand Canyon University are $11,538 a year.
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.
Concordia University, Wisconsin graduate students pay an average of $11,760 in tuition and fees each year.
Concordia University, Wisconsin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Read full report on Nursing at Concordia University, Wisconsin
Herzing University - Madison ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Herzing University - Madison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Madison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Herzing University - Madison are $11,680 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Herzing University - Madison is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Wheeling University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Wheeling University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wheeling.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Wheeling University are $10,160 a year.
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 midsize 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MSU Moorhead also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Nursing at Minnesota State University - Moorhead Report
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.
Liberty University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
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 distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 per year.
Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the remote area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni 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 Graceland Lamoni are $11,187 a year.
Read full report on Nursing at Graceland University - Lamoni
With a ranking of #21, Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
University of St Francis came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Joliet.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Saint Francis are $13,839 per year.
University of Saint Francis also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Briar Cliff University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Briar Cliff graduate students pay an average of $10,530 in tuition and fees each year.
Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.
Chamberlain - Illinois graduate students pay an average of $14,090 in tuition and fees each year.
Illinois State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.
Rest of the Top Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
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 |
More Nursing Rankings
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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