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2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

10 Schools Ranked
$23,978 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$19,104 Avg Student Debt*

With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps 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 Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in North Carolina to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
3 Total Awards
$23,017 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Appalachian State University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in North Carolina. This large public school is located in Boone, North Carolina, and it awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Appalachian State are $23,017 per year.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Appalachian State. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Appalachian State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list.

Read full report on Appalachian State University

#2

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina
8 Total Awards
$20,743 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 8 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ECU are $20,743 a year.

ECU 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 80% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, ECU is ranked #5 for overall quality in North Carolina.

Read More…

#3

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Total Awards
$21,147 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent graduate certificate programs at University of North Carolina at Charlotte helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 1 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Charlotte are $21,147 per year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UNC Charlotte does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

UNC Charlotte also made our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list, coming in at #3.

Read More…

#4

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1 Total Awards
$17,253 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Winston - Salem State University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. WSSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

WSSU graduate students pay an average of $17,253 in tuition and fees each year.

WSSU does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 89% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Winston - Salem State University Report

#5

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina
10 Total Awards
$21,343 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Wilmington, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 10 students in 2020-2021.

UNCW graduate students pay an average of $21,343 in tuition and fees each year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UNCW does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 88% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on University of North Carolina at Wilmington

#6

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
4 Total Awards
$21,983 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 4 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNC Greensboro are $21,983 per year.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Greensboro. In fact, around 80% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#7

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, North Carolina
6 Total Awards
$10,130 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Gardner - Webb University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina that handed out 6 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

Gardner - Webb graduate students pay an average of $10,130 in tuition and fees each year.

Gardner - Webb does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Gardner - Webb University

#8

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
3 Total Awards
$30,858 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill graduate students pay an average of $30,858 in tuition and fees each year. On average, graduate certificate students take out $16,691 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UNC Chapel Hill. In 2019-2020 about 77% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

#9

Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina
3 Total Awards
$14,166 Average Tuition & Fees

Queens University of Charlotte landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Queens is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Queens are $14,166 a year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Queens does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Queens University of Charlotte

#10

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
57 Total Awards
$59,141 Average Tuition & Fees

Duke University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Duke are $59,141 a year. On average, graduate certificate students take out $17,440 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Duke. In 2019-2020 about 2% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Duke did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in North Carolina list.

Full Duke University Report

View Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 10 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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