Find Healthcare Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

272 Colleges
$10,664 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$99,011 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

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 large 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.

Read More…

#2

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Morningside College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. 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.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Sentinel University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Aurora, American Sentinel University is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Sentinel University are $6,920 per year.

Read More…

#4

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

Out of the 272 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Marty University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.

Mount Marty graduate students pay an average of $9,650 in tuition and fees each 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.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Orange County. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. 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.

Read More…

West Coast University - Dallas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Dallas

#7

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

With a ranking of #7, Youngstown State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.

Full Nursing at Youngstown State University Report

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 suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.

SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#9

Delta State University

Cleveland, MS

Delta State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Delta State University is a small public school located in the town of Cleveland.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 per year.

Full Nursing at Delta State University Report

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.

St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing graduate students pay an average of $8,740 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

#11

Clarkson College

Omaha, NE

Clarkson College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Clarkson College

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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine are $22,716 a year.

Read full report on Nursing at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine

#13

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Grand Canyon University are $11,538 per year.

Read full report on Nursing at Grand Canyon University

Concordia University, Wisconsin came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Concordia University, Wisconsin is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mequon.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Wisconsin are $11,760 per 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.

Read More…

Herzing University - Madison ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Madison, Herzing University - Madison 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 Herzing University - Madison are $11,680 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Herzing University - Madison also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Nursing at Herzing University - Madison Report

#16

Wheeling University

Wheeling, WV

Wheeling University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Wheeling, Wheeling University is a private not-for-profit college 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.

Full Nursing at Wheeling University Report

With a ranking of #17, Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. MSU Moorhead is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.

MSU Moorhead graduate students pay an average of $11,052 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#18

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty 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 #18 on the list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 a year.

Read full report on Nursing at Liberty University

#19

Winona State University

Winona, MN

Winona 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 #19 on the list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Winona State are $12,836 per year.

Winona State also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. 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.

Read More…

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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, PLNU also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Nursing at Point Loma Nazarene University Report

University of St Francis landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis 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 University of Saint Francis are $13,839 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of Saint Francis also did well on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Nursing at University of St Francis Report

#23

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, IA

With a ranking of #23, Briar Cliff University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Briar Cliff is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Briar Cliff are $10,530 a year.

Read More…

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 large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090 per year.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

Illinois 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 #25 on the list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.

Read More…

Rest of the Top Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

#26

Rivier University

Nashua, NH
#27

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA
#29

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN
#31

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC
#34

Walden University

Minneapolis, MN
#36

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
#36

National University

La Jolla, CA
#36

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL
#39

Alverno College

Milwaukee, WI
#40

Union University

Jackson, TN

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

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

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.

Featured Schools

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S.