2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 1,287 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular graduate certificate programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Harvard University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 1,869 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $19,755 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 53% of those degree recipients were women.
Harvard 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 96% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Capella University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Capella University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,322 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 84% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Capella University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Columbia University in the City of New York is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,269 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $33,131 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Columbia. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 1,262 students in 2020-2021.
Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Iowa. In 2019-2020 about 33% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 1,102 students in 2020-2021.
Around 66% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Liberty University. In 2019-2020 about 97% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools list. UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,107 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UOPX - Arizona. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Naval Postgraduate School did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This small public school is located in Monterey, California, and it awarded 1,094 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 22% of those degree recipients were women.
Naval Postgraduate School does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
The College of Saint Rose did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Albany, New York, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,017 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Saint Rose. In fact, around 39% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Southern California landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 962 students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since USC does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 953 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Johns Hopkins accumulate an average of $19,227 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Johns Hopkins. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Lamar University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools list. Lamar University is a fairly large public school situated in Beaumont, Texas. It awarded 882 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
Lamar University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 95% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 1,016 students in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
UF does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 79% took at least some of their classes online.
George Mason University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. This large public school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 840 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 72% were women.
GMU 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 87% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
DeVry University - Illinois came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. DeVry University - Illinois is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 821 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
DeVry University - Illinois 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 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Portland State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 811 students in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $29,312 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
Portland State University 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 20% took at least some of their classes online.
Oregon State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Oregon State is a public institution located in Corvallis, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 732 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
Oregon 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 fact, around 43% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Arkansas State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in Jonesboro, Arkansas that handed out 710 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since A-State does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 83% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Washington State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Washington State University is a large public school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 676 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Wazzu, 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 30% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. UC is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 671 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,388 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
UC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #20, George Washington University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 659 graduate certificates to qualified students.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,615 in student loans. Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at GWU, 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, 37% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Utah came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. University of Utah is a large public school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 639 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 51% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at U of U. 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.
University of Connecticut ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools list. UCONN is a public institution located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school has a large population, and it awarded 598 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
UCONN 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southern New Hampshire University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. SNHU is located in Manchester, New Hampshire and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 582 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at SNHU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 561 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
Ball State University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools list. This large public school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 548 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Ball State. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Rest of the Top 50 Most Popular Graduate 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% Most Popular Graduate 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 most popular schools ranking:
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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