2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
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 and bootcamps 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in North Carolina 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. 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.
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Top Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of North Carolina at Charlotte the best value school in North Carolina for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the large public school awarded 502 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNC Charlotte are $21,147 a year.
UNC Charlotte 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 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
UNC Charlotte not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Out of the 19 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the large public school awarded 550 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at ECU are $20,743 per year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at ECU. In fact, around 80% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. Appalachian State is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 267 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Appalachian State are $23,017 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Appalachian State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 86% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Appalachian State also took the #5 spot in our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina rankings.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Winston - Salem State University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. WSSU is a public institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WSSU are $17,253 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at WSSU. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. UNCW is a fairly large public school situated in Wilmington, North Carolina. It awarded 72 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNCW are $21,343 a year.
UNCW 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, 88% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #6, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 449 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
NC State graduate students pay an average of $29,690 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,885 in student loans.
NC 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
NC State also took the #2 spot in our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina rankings.
Fayetteville State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. Fayetteville, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 72 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Fayetteville State University are $16,900 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Fayetteville State University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. 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.
With a ranking of #8, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. It awarded 194 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
UNC Greensboro graduate students pay an average of $21,983 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNC Greensboro. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 80% took at least some of their classes online.
Western Carolina University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, the fairly large public school awarded 76 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WCU are $17,887 per year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at WCU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 87% took at least some of their classes online.
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, the fairly large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
NC A&T graduate students pay an average of $20,738 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NC A&T. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,858 per year. Graduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $16,691 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UNC Chapel Hill. 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.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Pfeiffer University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Misenheimer, North Carolina, and it awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Pfeiffer University are $12,240 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Pfeiffer University. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 70% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Gardner - Webb University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It awarded 139 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Gardner - Webb are $10,130 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Gardner - Webb does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 59% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #14, Wingate University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wingate, North Carolina. It awarded 18 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Wingate are $11,700 a year.
Wingate 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 18% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Queens is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 11 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Queens graduate students pay an average of $14,166 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Queens, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Strayer University - North Carolina ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. Morrisville, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Strayer University - North Carolina graduate students pay an average of $15,135 in tuition and fees each year.
Strayer University - North Carolina is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Wake Forest University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Wake Forest University are $39,240 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Wake Forest University does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. 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.
Wake Forest University also took the #3 spot in our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina rankings.
Duke University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina ranking. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 327 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Duke graduate students pay an average of $59,141 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,440 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. In 2019-2020 about 2% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Duke also made our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list, coming in at #1.
Methodist 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 #19 on the list. Fayetteville, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Methodist graduate students pay an average of $41,428 in tuition and fees each year.
Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region
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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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