2023 Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 1,063 schools in the United States to see which undergraduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in the United States for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
In-state students pay an average of $19,785 in tuition and fees if they attend University of Virginia full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $54,438.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at University of Virginia. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the United States.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $60,768 to cover tuition and fees at Northwestern. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Washington University in St Louis is a great place for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $58,866 to cover tuition and fees at WUSTL. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at WUSTL. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Highlands College of Montana Tech helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the United States.
In-state students pay an average of $3,589 in tuition and fees if they attend Highlands College of Montana Tech full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,391. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from Highlands College of Montana Tech accumulate an average of $6,153 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Highlands College of Montana Tech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 36% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Dakota State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the United States.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Dakota State is $9,633. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $12,735.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Dakota State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 73% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Asnuntuck Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate programs.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at ACC is $4,556. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $13,508. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,741 in student loans.
Online courses are available at ACC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 83% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Cowley County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list.
Students from Kansas who attend Cowley College full time pay an average of $3,750 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $5,190. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,137 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Cowley College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 67% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at IU Bloomington is $11,333. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $38,352. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $18,440 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since IU Bloomington does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of North Dakota ranked #9 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools list.
Full-time students from North Dakota pay an average of $10,596 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UND. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,037. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $29,316 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UND does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Seattle Pacific University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at SPU is $35,646. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
One thing to take note of is that SPU does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 98% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
White Mountains Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees if they attend White Mountains Community College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,300. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from White Mountains Community College accumulate an average of $15,620 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since White Mountains Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 61% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Providence College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #12 on the list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $55,988 to cover tuition and fees at Providence. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Providence. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Dunwoody College of Technology came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $23,863 to cover tuition and fees at Dunwoody College of Technology. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,370 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Dunwoody College of Technology does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 92% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Madison Area Technical College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Madison College is $4,600. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,769. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,600 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Madison College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 77% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #15, Mid-America Christian University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
If you want to attend MACU, expect to pay an average of $18,838 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Some students may be able to take online classes at MACU. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 65% took at least some of their classes online.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at IUP is $13,144. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $18,897.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at IUP. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 59% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Great Bay Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking.
Students from New Hampshire who attend Great Bay Community College full time pay an average of $7,200 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,450. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $20,922 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Great Bay Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 91% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $17,968 in loans while pursuing their degree.
NHTI-Concord’s Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at NHTI is $7,200. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,450. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from NHTI accumulate an average of $18,790 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that NHTI does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Stanly Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #20 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $2,794 in tuition and fees if they attend Stanly Technical College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,245.
Stanly Technical College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #21, Hamline University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $46,221 to cover tuition and fees at Hamline. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,551 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Hamline, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 87% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate programs.
In-state students pay an average of $10,720 in tuition and fees if they attend UW - Madison full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $38,608.
Some students may be able to take online classes at UW - Madison. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Bay State College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $29,500 to cover tuition and fees at Bay State College. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bay State College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 54% took at least some of their classes online.
Georgetown University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $59,957 to cover tuition and fees at Georgetown. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Georgetown is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Los Angeles Valley College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools ranking.
Students from California who attend LAVC full time pay an average of $1,238 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,012. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,749 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LAVC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Rest of the Top 15% Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the United States
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our best schools ranking:
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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