2026 Best Value Philosophy Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best-value Philosophy graduate certificate degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 913 schools by value — the balance of cost and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as tuition, student debt, and post-graduation earnings to surface the strongest return on investment.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor reviewed schools to build this 2026 value ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Best-Value Philosophy Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Explore the best-value schools below:
For return on investment, no school beat Duke University this year in the United States. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees run about $68,758. Graduates carry a median of $13,296 in student loans. Graduates go on to earn a median of $97,800 ten years after entry. That is a strong return on a $13,296 median debt. Duke University has an acceptance rate of 6%. More on Duke University
You'll get strong value at Columbia University In The City Of New York, which ranked #2 this year. Columbia University In The City Of New York is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. In-state tuition and fees run about $70,517. Typical Philosophy student debt is $20,062. Median earnings reach $102,491 ten years out. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 4%. See the full Columbia University In The City Of New York profile
You'll get strong value at Mt Hood Community College, which ranked #3 this year. Read more about Mt Hood Community College
You'll get strong value at Boston College, which ranked #4 this year. More on Boston College
Out of the 913 schools in the United States in this year's value ranking, High Point University landed the #5 spot. Read the full report on High Point University
Juniata College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Juniata College profile
Oklahoma Baptist University landed the #7 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Oklahoma Baptist University profile
Scripps College offered strong value this year, earning the #8 position. See the full Scripps College profile
Transylvania University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. Get the full Transylvania University report
Western Washington University came in at #10 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Western Washington University
Appalachian State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Appalachian State University profile
Asbury University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. Read the full report on Asbury University
Baylor University placed #13 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Read the full report on Baylor University
Bellarmine University placed #14 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. See the full Bellarmine University profile
Bryn Mawr College placed #15 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Read the full report on Bryn Mawr College
California State University Fresno offered strong value this year, earning the #16 position. More on California State University Fresno
Humboldt State University came in at #17 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Humboldt State University
Pitzer College
Pitzer College placed #18 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Read more about Pitzer College
Stetson University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Stetson University profile
University Of Scranton placed #20 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Read more about University Of Scranton
Augsburg College
Augsburg College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. More on Augsburg College
Meredith College
Meredith College landed the #22 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Meredith College report
Ohio Wesleyan University offered strong value this year, earning the #23 position. Read the full report on Ohio Wesleyan University
University Of Hawaii At Hilo came in at #24 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on University Of Hawaii At Hilo
University Of Memphis offered strong value this year, earning the #25 position. Read the full report on University Of Memphis
Rest of the Top 50 Best-Value Philosophy Graduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also delivered strong value this year:
Assumption College came in at #26 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Assumption College report
Bakersfield College came in at #27 in this year's value ranking. Get the full Bakersfield College report
Christopher Newport University landed the #28 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Christopher Newport University
Claremont Graduate University ranked #29 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Claremont Graduate University profile
Heidelberg University landed the #30 spot for value in the United States this year. Read more about Heidelberg University
Henderson State University ranked #31 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Henderson State University profile
Portland State University came in at #32 in this year's value ranking. Read more about Portland State University
Princeton University placed #33 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Get the full Princeton University report
Swarthmore College landed the #34 spot for value in the United States this year. Get the full Swarthmore College report
University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus placed #35 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Read the full report on University Of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus
Carson Newman College landed the #36 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Carson Newman College
Laney College
Laney College came in at #37 in this year's value ranking. Read the full report on Laney College
Porterville College landed the #38 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Porterville College
Providence College landed the #39 spot for value in the United States this year. Read the full report on Providence College
Sacred Heart Major Seminary offered strong value this year, earning the #40 position. More on Sacred Heart Major Seminary
St Lawrence University offered strong value this year, earning the #41 position. Read the full report on St Lawrence University
Suny At Fredonia
Suny At Fredonia landed the #42 spot for value in the United States this year. More on Suny At Fredonia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University placed #43 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Get the full Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University report
Ball State University offered strong value this year, earning the #44 position. Get the full Ball State University report
College Of The Holy Cross placed #45 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. Get the full College Of The Holy Cross report
Drew University
Drew University offered strong value this year, earning the #46 position. Read more about Drew University
Erskine College And Seminary ranked #47 on our 2026 list of the best-value Philosophy schools. See the full Erskine College And Seminary profile
Maryville College placed #48 among the best-value Philosophy schools in the United States. See the full Maryville College profile
Nazareth College
Nazareth College landed the #49 spot for value in the United States this year. See the full Nazareth College profile
The University Of Texas At Dallas offered strong value this year, earning the #50 position. Get the full The University Of Texas At Dallas report
Related Philosophy Value Rankings
Compare value rankings at other degree levels:
- Best Value Philosophy Schools (All Levels)
- Best Value Philosophy Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Philosophy Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Value Philosophy Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Philosophy Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Value Philosophy Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
These rankings are produced by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment — drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 913 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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