2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of St Francis the best school in the Great Lakes Region for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at University of Saint Francis. 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.
Out of the 42 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the # 2 spot on the list.
One thing to take note of is that Bradley does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Wisconsin is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.
Online graduate courses are available at Concordia University, Wisconsin, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Herzing University - Madison helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region .
Since the graduate programs at Herzing University - Madison are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Lewis University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region .
Lewis 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 85% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UW - Madison. In fact, around 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #7, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Marquette does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 58% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Case Western Reserve 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 #8 on the list.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $20,683 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Case Western does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 17% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Illinois State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. In fact, around 81% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Purdue does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 60% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $28,259 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Wright State University - Main Campus does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 73% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SIUE. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 86% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
With a ranking of #13, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Ohio State does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 76% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Southern Indiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list.
One thing to take note of is that USI does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since OHIO Athens does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. 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.
University of Michigan - Flint landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
UM Flint 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 63% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Loyola Chicago. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 92% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Purdue University Global landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Purdue University Global accumulate an average of $33,486 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Since the graduate programs at Purdue University Global are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,388 in student loans.
UC 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 82% took at least some of their classes online.
Grand Valley State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
GVSU 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 73% took at least some of their classes online.
Xavier University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Online graduate courses are available at Xavier, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 46% took at least some of their classes online.
Kent State University at Kent ranked #22 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Kent State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Ursuline College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.
Ursuline College 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 27% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #24, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.
Online graduate courses are available at Detroit Mercy, 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.
Ball State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Ball State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 91% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
View Best Graduate Certificate Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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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