2023 Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 400 schools in the United States to see which graduate certificate programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Check out the nursing graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Maryville University of Saint Louis the most popular school in the United States for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Maryville U is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.
Request Information
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UC take out while working on their Graduate Certificate is $21,375.
Full Nursing at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Report
Request Information
The in-demand graduate certificate programs at University of South Alabama helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a large student population.
About 94% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 6% are male.
Read full report on Nursing at University of South Alabama
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Frontier Nursing University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.
Women make up 96% of the nursing majors at the school.
Full Nursing at Frontier Nursing University Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regis College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Weston, Regis College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 120 students majoring in nursing at Regis College, 16% are male and 84% are female.
Full Nursing at Regis College Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #6, Purdue University Global did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a very large student population.
Of the 115 students majoring in nursing at Purdue University Global, 12% are male and 88% are female.
Read full report on Nursing at Purdue University Global
Request Information
California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Long Beach
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.
Read full report on Nursing at Columbia University in the City of New York
Request Information
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate nursing programs. UT Arlington is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Arlington.
About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.
Full Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington Report
Request Information
Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 92 students majoring in nursing at Liberty University, 11% are male and 89% are female.
Request Information
Grand Canyon University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.
Request Information
Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Nursing at Illinois State University Report
Request Information
Northern Kentucky University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a large student population.
Of the 71 students majoring in nursing at NKU, 10% are male and 90% are female.
Full Nursing at Northern Kentucky University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #14, Concordia University, Wisconsin did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Concordia University, Wisconsin is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mequon.
Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.
Request Information
Herzing University - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the large city of Madison, Herzing University - Madison is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.
Full Nursing at Herzing University - Madison Report
Request Information
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Edinburg.
Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.
Read full report on Nursing at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Request Information
Duke University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.
Read full report on Nursing at Duke University
Request Information
With a ranking of #18, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. RMUoHP is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
Of the 51 students majoring in nursing at RMUoHP, 14% are male and 86% are female.
Full Nursing at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Report
Request Information
Ursuline College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Ursuline College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Pepper Pike.
About 98% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 2% are male.
Full Nursing at Ursuline College Report
Request Information
University of Massachusetts - Boston came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. UMass Boston is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Boston.
Women make up 95% of the nursing majors at the school.
Full Nursing at University of Massachusetts - Boston Report
Request Information
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Durham, UNH is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 81% of the nursing majors at the school.
Read full report on Nursing at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Request Information
Washington State University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate nursing programs. Wazzu is a very large public school located in the distant town of Pullman.
About 81% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 19% are male.
Read full report on Nursing at Washington State University
Request Information
National University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Of the 39 students majoring in nursing at National University, 15% are male and 85% are female.
Request Information
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools list. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus.
Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.
Request Information
With a ranking of #24, Drexel University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.
Read full report on Nursing at Drexel University
Request InformationRest of the Top Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 400 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
50 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
52 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
52 | Mayo Clinic School of Medicine | Rochester, MN |
52 | Rivier University | Nashua, NH |
52 | West Coast University - Orange County | Anaheim, CA |
52 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
57 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
57 | University of Toledo | Toledo, OH |
57 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
57 | The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
61 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY |
61 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
61 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
61 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
61 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
61 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
67 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
67 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | Lubbock, TX |
67 | Lehman College | Bronx, NY |
67 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA |
67 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion, IN |
72 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
72 | Alverno College | Milwaukee, WI |
72 | University of Michigan - Flint | Flint, MI |
75 | University of Maryland - Baltimore | Baltimore, MD |
75 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
75 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne, NJ |
75 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL |
75 | Rush University | Chicago, IL |
75 | Russell Sage College | Troy, NY |
75 | Capella University | Minneapolis, MN |
75 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
Nursing Related Majors
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.