2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for 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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the best value school in the Rocky Mountains Region for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 137 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WGU are $7,790 per year.
Since the graduate programs at WGU are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Colorado State University - Global Campus is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. This fairly large public school is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and it awarded 233 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Colorado State University - Global Campus graduate students pay an average of $9,000 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,015 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, Colorado State University - Global Campus is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
Colorado State University - Global Campus did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.
Read full report on Colorado State University - Global Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. UW is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 92 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
UW graduate students pay an average of $17,569 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at UW, 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 72% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
UW also made our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, coming in at #4.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regis University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Regis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 158 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Regis U are $15,079 per year.
Regis U 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 fact, around 69% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Utah State University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 105 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USU are $23,225 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at USU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 52% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
USU also made our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, coming in at #2.
Westminster College Utah ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Westminster College Salt Lake graduate students pay an average of $16,689 in tuition and fees each year.
Westminster College Salt Lake 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 9% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Weber State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. WSU is a large public school situated in Ogden, Utah. It awarded 54 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
WSU graduate students pay an average of $18,226 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at WSU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 80% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Denver, Colorado, the fairly large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at MSU Denver are $12,792 a year.
Online graduate courses are available at MSU Denver, 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 50% took at least some of their classes online.
Colorado State University - Fort Collins came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This large public school is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and it awarded 368 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Colorado State graduate students pay an average of $29,043 in tuition and fees each year.
Colorado State does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Colorado State is ranked #5 for overall quality in the Rocky Mountains Region .
Read full report on Colorado State University - Fort Collins
University of Utah landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. U of U is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 639 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at U of U are $25,705 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since U of U does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 68% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #11, Montana State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Montana State University is a fairly large public school located in Bozeman, Montana that handed out 93 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
MSU Bozeman graduate students pay an average of $22,391 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MSU Bozeman does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 77% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Boise State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Boise State is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Boise State are $26,558 per year. On average, graduate certificate students take out $25,700 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Boise State. In 2019-2020 about 80% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #13, Colorado School of Mines did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Golden, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 66 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Mines graduate students pay an average of $40,844 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mines does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 21% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Mines did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.
Utah Valley University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Orem, Utah, the large public school handed out 20 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UVU are $22,005 per year.
UVU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 70% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The University of Montana landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. UM is a public institution located in Missoula, Montana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 195 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UM are $24,096 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UM. During the 2019-2020 year, about 19% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Idaho landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. U of I is a fairly large public school situated in Moscow, Idaho. It awarded 46 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
U of I graduate students pay an average of $29,148 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at U of I. In fact, around 61% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. UCCS is a public institution located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UCCS are $25,584 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UCCS. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 58% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Idaho State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Pocatello, Idaho, and it awarded 51 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
ISU graduate students pay an average of $27,778 in tuition and fees each year. On average, graduate certificate students take out $33,862 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at ISU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Denver came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. DU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Denver, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 533 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
DU graduate students pay an average of $53,943 in tuition and fees each year.
DU 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 84% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.
References
- 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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