2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 85 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best value school in the Plains States Region for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Orange City, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
NWC graduate students pay an average of $6,360 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NWC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
NWC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Stephens College is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Stephens is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 2 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Stephens are $9,230 a year.
Stephens does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 37% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Stephens also made our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #1.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Valley City State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in the Plains States Region . Located in Valley City, North Dakota, the small public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Valley City State University are $7,723 a year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,849 in student loans.
Valley City State University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Valley City State University is ranked #5 for overall quality in the Plains States Region .
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Mayville State University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Mayville, North Dakota, the small public school handed out 1 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mayville State University are $7,465 a year.
Mayville State University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
In addition to its great value ranking, Mayville State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Simpson College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Indianola, Iowa. It awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Simpson College are $6,606 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Simpson College. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 38% took at least some of their classes online.
Morningside College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 8 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Morningside graduate students pay an average of $6,516 in tuition and fees each year.
Since the graduate programs at Morningside are primarily online, it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 304 students in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
Minnesota State Mankato 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 40% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Minnesota State Mankato also claimed a spot on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Park 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 #8 on the list. Parkville, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 83 students in 2020-2021.
Park University graduate students pay an average of $6,435 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Park University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #9, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Maryville, Missouri. It awarded 59 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Northwest graduate students pay an average of $7,064 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Northwest. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mount Marty 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 #10 on the list. Yankton, South Dakota is the setting for this small 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 Mount Marty are $9,650 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Mount Marty does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mount Marty excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Grantham University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Grantham University is a private for-profit institution located in Lenexa, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Grantham University are $4,800 per year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Grantham University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Bemidji State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This small public school is located in Bemidji, Minnesota, and it awarded 4 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Bemidji State University are $9,586 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Bemidji State University. During the 2019-2020 year, about 87% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Wayne State College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. WSC is a small public school situated in Wayne, Nebraska. It awarded 15 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
WSC graduate students pay an average of $9,597 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that WSC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Crown College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Crown are $10,640 a year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Crown. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Crown also is in the top 15% of our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Doane University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Crete, Nebraska, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 27 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Doane Crete graduate students pay an average of $8,586 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Doane Crete, 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, 10% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #16, Hamline University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 194 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Hamline. 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.
Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 80 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Saint Paul graduate students pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Concordia University, Saint Paul, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Nebraska landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seward, Nebraska. It awarded 28 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Nebraska are $8,650 a year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Concordia University, Nebraska. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Southwestern College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. SC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winfield, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SC are $12,768 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
SC also made our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #2.
Bethel University Minnesota landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bethel University Minnesota are $11,700 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Bethel University Minnesota. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
In addition to its great value ranking, Bethel University Minnesota is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate programs. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, the medium-sized public school handed out 45 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MSU Moorhead are $11,052 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MSU Moorhead does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 84% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #22, Southwest Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Southwest Baptist University is located in Bolivar, Missouri and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Southwest Baptist University are $5,388 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Southwest Baptist University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 47% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #23, Metropolitan State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This medium-sized public school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 27 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Metro State graduate students pay an average of $10,237 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Metro State, 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 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Fort Hays State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Hays, Kansas, and it awarded 37 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at FHSU are $11,376 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at FHSU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 93% took at least some of their classes online.
University of South Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #25 on the list. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 56 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.
USD does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 58% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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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