2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 272 schools in the United States 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 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in the United States for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
La Salle graduate students pay an average of $1,455 in tuition and fees each year.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Morningside College is a great value for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Morningside 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 Morningside are $6,516 a year.
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Out of the 272 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American Sentinel University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Aurora, American Sentinel University is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
American Sentinel University graduate students pay an average of $6,920 in tuition and fees each year.
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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. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mount Marty are $9,650 a 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 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at West Coast University - Orange County helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the United States. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at West Coast University - Orange County are $10,989 per year.
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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. West Coast University - Dallas is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Dallas.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at West Coast University - Dallas are $10,735 a year.
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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. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 a year.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 a year.
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With a ranking of #9, Delta State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Delta State University is a small public school located in the town of Cleveland.
Delta State University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.
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Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.
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.
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Clarkson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Clarkson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Omaha.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Clarkson College are $12,294 per year.
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With a ranking of #12, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine graduate students pay an average of $22,716 in tuition and fees each year.
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Grand Canyon 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 #13 on the list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grand Canyon University are $11,538 a year.
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Concordia University, Wisconsin 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. Concordia University, Wisconsin is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mequon.
Concordia University, Wisconsin graduate students pay an average of $11,760 in tuition and fees each year.
Concordia University, Wisconsin also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Herzing University - Madison landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the large city of Madison, Herzing University - Madison is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Herzing University - Madison are $11,680 per year.
Herzing University - Madison excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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Wheeling 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 #16 on the list. Located in the small city of Wheeling, Wheeling University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Wheeling University are $10,160 a year.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead.
MSU Moorhead graduate students pay an average of $11,052 in tuition and fees each year.
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Liberty University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 a year.
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Winona State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
Winona State graduate students pay an average of $12,836 in tuition and fees each year.
Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote area of Lamoni.
Graceland Lamoni graduate students pay an average of $11,187 in tuition and fees each year.
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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. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
PLNU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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University of St Francis ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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.
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Briar Cliff University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Briar Cliff is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.
Briar Cliff graduate students pay an average of $10,530 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #24, Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090 a year.
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Illinois State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students seeking value that almost earned our 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
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
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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