2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 272 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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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2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a graduate certificate.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
La Salle graduate students pay an average of $1,455 in tuition and fees each year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Morningside College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American Sentinel University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Aurora.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Sentinel University are $6,920 per year.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Mount Marty University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the United States. Located in the remote town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mount Marty are $9,650 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mount Marty also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means West Coast University - Orange County is a great value for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
West Coast University - Orange County graduate students pay an average of $10,989 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report
With a ranking of #6, West Coast University - Dallas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Dallas, West Coast University - Dallas is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at West Coast University - Dallas are $10,735 a year.
Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Delta State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the remote town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 a year.
With a ranking of #10, Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing are $8,740 a year.
Clarkson College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Omaha, Clarkson College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Clarkson College are $12,294 per year.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine are $22,716 per year.
Grand Canyon University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grand Canyon University are $11,538 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Grand Canyon University is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Concordia University, Wisconsin landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Mequon, Concordia University, Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Wisconsin are $11,760 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Concordia University, Wisconsin also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Herzing University - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Herzing University - Madison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Herzing University - Madison are $11,680 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Herzing University - Madison is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Wheeling University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Wheeling University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wheeling.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Wheeling University are $10,160 per year.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
MSU Moorhead graduate students pay an average of $11,052 in tuition and fees each year.
Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.
Winona State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Winona State graduate students pay an average of $12,836 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Winona State is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
With a ranking of #20, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the rural area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Graceland Lamoni are $11,187 a year.
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
PLNU also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
University of St Francis landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at University of Saint Francis are $13,839 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Saint Francis also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
With a ranking of #23, Briar Cliff University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Briar Cliff are $10,530 per year.
Chamberlain University - Illinois came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090 a year.
Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #25 on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 a year.
Rest of the Top Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College | Saint Louis, MO |
| 42 | Research College of Nursing | Kansas City, MO |
| 43 | Cedar Crest College | Allentown, PA |
| 44 | Saint Joseph’s College of Maine | Standish, ME |
| 45 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 46 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 47 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 48 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 49 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, IN |
| 50 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 51 | Anderson University South Carolina | Anderson, SC |
| 52 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, IL |
| 53 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 54 | Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions | Provo, UT |
Nursing by Region
View the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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