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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

9 Schools Ranked
$25,427 Avg Student Debt

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. 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. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
$13,839 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of St Francis the best school in Illinois for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.

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.

Full University of St Francis Report

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
$17,400 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Bradley University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.

Bradley 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 95% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Bradley University Report

#3

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
$14,960 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lewis University landed the # 3 spot on the list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Lewis. In fact, around 85% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
$9,773 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

Illinois 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 81% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Illinois State University

$9,316 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

Online graduate courses are available at SIUE, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 86% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#6

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
$19,894 Average Tuition & Fees

Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 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 Loyola Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 92% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Loyola University Chicago Report

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

One thing to take note of is that Olivet Nazarene does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Report

#8

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
$14,184 Average Tuition & Fees

North Park University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at North Park. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on North Park University

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
$18,341 Average Tuition & Fees

DePaul University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since DePaul does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full DePaul University Report

Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 9 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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