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Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$19,003 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$99,011 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Pennsylvania with 11,477 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Pennsylvania to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Pennsylvania. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at La Salle are $1,455 a year.

Read full report on Nursing at La Salle University

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a great value for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Millersville is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.

Millersville graduate students pay an average of $11,934 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report

#3

Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Cedar Crest College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Cedar Crest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Allentown.

Cedar Crest graduate students pay an average of $14,719 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Clarion University is a small public school located in the remote town of Clarion.

Clarion University graduate students pay an average of $12,179 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Clarion University of Pennsylvania Report

#5

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Thomas Jefferson University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Thomas Jefferson University graduate students pay an average of $22,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Thomas Jefferson University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

#6

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the small city of Erie, Gannon is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Gannon graduate students pay an average of $20,660 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Gannon University Report

#7

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

With a ranking of #7, DeSales University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the rural area of Center Valley, DeSales is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

DeSales graduate students pay an average of $21,120 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at DeSales University

#8

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Villanova are $21,199 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Villanova is ranked #4 for overall quality for nursing in Pennsylvania.

Read full report on Nursing at Villanova University

#9

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA

Waynesburg University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Waynesburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Waynesburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Waynesburg are $16,440 a year.

Full Nursing at Waynesburg University Report

#10

Neumann University

Aston, PA

Neumann University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of Aston, Neumann is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Neumann graduate students pay an average of $14,690 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at Neumann University

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
Maryland 4,104
New Jersey 5,648
District of Columbia 990
Delaware 1,267

One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 16 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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