2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 60 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate programs were the most popular 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 Illinois
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named DeVry University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for students working on their graduate certificate. 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.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at DeVry University - Illinois. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 97% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Out of the 60 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 561 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
Out of the 60 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the # 3 spot on the list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 336 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.
Loyola Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Benedictine University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Benedictine University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lisle, Illinois that handed out 326 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 Benedictine U. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 278 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Illinois State does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 81% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Northwestern University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 226 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Northwestern accumulate an average of $21,679 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Northwestern. In 2019-2020 about 2% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #7, National Louis University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. National Louis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 134 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NLU. In fact, around 59% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Eastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, the medium-sized public school handed out 133 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 47% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at EIU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 75% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 87 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 77% were women.
Olivet Nazarene 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 97% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 80 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
Concordia University, Chicago 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 98% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of St Francis ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 80 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at University of Saint Francis. In fact, around 89% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #12, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 58 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 93% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Aurora does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 87% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 91% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since The Chicago School Chicago Campus does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 28% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UIC. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Chamberlain University - Illinois ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Addison, Illinois. It awarded 71 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 89% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Chamberlain - Illinois are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Rush University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Rush University is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Rush University, 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 74% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Lewis University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Lewis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 39 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Lewis. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #17, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Macomb, Illinois, the medium-sized public school handed out 39 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 49% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that WIU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that SIUE 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.
Read full report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Bradley 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 #20 on the list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 32 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 94% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bradley does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northern Illinois University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 30 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
NIU 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 43% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 26 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $22,872 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UIS. In fact, around 96% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
DePaul 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 #24 on the list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at DePaul, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #25, Adler University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Adler is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 94% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Adler does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 31% took at least some of their classes online.
View Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >
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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