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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
$63,100 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
66 Total Awards
$14,325 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of St Francis the best school in Illinois for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 66 graduate certificates to qualified students.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of Saint Francis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.

Full University of St Francis Report

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
30 Total Awards
$18,120 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. Located in Peoria, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 30 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2021-2022.

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 83% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Bradley University

#3

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
35 Total Awards
$14,960 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lewis University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 35 graduate certificates in 2021-2022.

One thing to take note of is that Lewis does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 79% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Lewis University

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
246 Total Awards
$9,648 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, the large public school handed out 246 graduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. In fact, around 42% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Full Illinois State University Report

53 Total Awards
$9,699 Average Tuition & Fees
$39,919 Avg Student Debt

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, the fairly large public school handed out 53 graduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.

Graduate Certificate recipients from SIUE accumulate an average of $39,919 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SIUE does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 63% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.

Read More…

#6

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
390 Total Awards
$20,344 Average Tuition & Fees
$45,173 Avg Student Debt

Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 390 graduate certificates to qualified students.

On average, graduate certificate students take out $45,173 in loans while pursuing their degree.

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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 77% of graduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.

Full Loyola University Chicago Report

#7

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
58 Total Awards
$11,645 Avg Student Debt

Olivet 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 #7 on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 58 graduate certificates in 2021-2022.

Graduate Certificate recipients from Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of $11,645 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Olivet Nazarene. In fact, around 99% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Report

#8

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
$14,184 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, North Park University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at North Park. In 2020-2021 about 45% 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
22 Total Awards
$22,109 Average Tuition & Fees
$47,001 Avg Student Debt

DePaul University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 22 students in 2021-2022.

On average, graduate certificate students take out $47,001 in loans while pursuing their degree.

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 2020-2021 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on DePaul University

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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