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Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

114 Schools Ranked
$24,846 Avg Student Debt

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 114 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
$56,567 Average Tuition & Fees
$21,679 Avg Student Debt

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the Great Lakes Region for students working on their graduate certificate.

By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,679 in student loans.

Northwestern does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 2% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Northwestern University

#2

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, Michigan
$22,981 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Michigan Technological University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Great Lakes Region .

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Michigan Tech. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 30% took at least some of their classes online.

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#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
$63,936 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 114 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 3 spot on the list.

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#4

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Out of the 114 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wisconsin Lutheran College landed the # 4 spot on the list.

WLC does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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#5

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin
$12,175 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate.

UW - Madison does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

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#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
$9,992 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their graduate certificate.

Online graduate courses are available at Purdue, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 60% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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#7

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
$25,230 Average Tuition & Fees
$20,014 Avg Student Debt

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

On average, graduate certificate students take out $20,014 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Online graduate courses are available at U-M, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#8

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
$24,917 Average Tuition & Fees

Milwaukee School of Engineering did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list.

MSOE does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 31% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Milwaukee School of Engineering Report

#9

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
$10,144 Average Tuition & Fees

Ball State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Ball State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Ball State University

#10

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
$13,839 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their graduate certificate.

University of Saint Francis does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 89% took at least some of their classes online.

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#11

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their graduate certificate.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Olivet Nazarene. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Report

#12

Cedarville University

Cedarville, Ohio

Cedarville University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #12 on the list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cedarville does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Cedarville University

#13

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
$9,400 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UW - Eau Claire does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 90% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

#14

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
$11,329 Average Tuition & Fees

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

Online graduate courses are available at IU Bloomington, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 74% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#15

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list.

Online graduate courses are available at Michigan State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 65% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Michigan State University

#16

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, Michigan
$29,630 Average Tuition & Fees

Andrews University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Andrews. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 36% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Andrews University Report

#17

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
$17,277 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #17 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#18

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
$17,400 Average Tuition & Fees

Bradley University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

Bradley does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 95% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#19

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
$32,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Elmhurst University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Elmhurst does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 64% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#20

Adrian College

Adrian, Michigan
$19,525 Average Tuition & Fees

Adrian College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

One thing to take note of is that Adrian does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#21

Viterbo University

La Crosse, Wisconsin
$24,230 Avg Student Debt

Viterbo University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,230 in student loans.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Viterbo. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 72% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Viterbo University

#22

Concordia University, Wisconsin

Mequon, Wisconsin
$11,760 Average Tuition & Fees

Concordia University, Wisconsin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #22 on the list.

One thing to take note of is that Concordia University, Wisconsin does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 67% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

$49,398 Average Tuition & Fees
$20,683 Avg Student Debt

Case Western Reserve University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

On average, graduate certificate students take out $20,683 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Case Western. During the 2019-2020 year, about 17% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#24

Herzing University - Madison

Madison, Wisconsin
$11,680 Average Tuition & Fees

Herzing University - Madison landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.

Since the graduate programs at Herzing University - Madison are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.

Full Herzing University - Madison Report

#25

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana
$12,220 Average Tuition & Fees

Valparaiso University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Online graduate courses are available at Valpo, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 61% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Valparaiso University Report

View Best Graduate Certificate Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

References

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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