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Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$19,003 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$99,011 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

Nursing is one of the most popular subjects to study in Pennsylvania. With 2,683 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 2nd out of all the majors we track in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Pennsylvania 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Pennsylvania. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at La Salle are $1,455 a year.

Full Nursing at La Salle University Report

Out of the 16 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the # 2 spot on the list. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Millersville.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Millersville are $11,934 per year.

Read full report on Nursing at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

#3

Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cedar Crest College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Cedar Crest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Allentown.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cedar Crest are $14,719 per year.

Full Nursing at Cedar Crest College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Clarion University is a small public school located in the town of Clarion.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Clarion University are $12,179 per year.

Read full report on Nursing at Clarion University of Pennsylvania

#5

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Thomas Jefferson University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Thomas Jefferson University are $22,644 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Thomas Jefferson University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Read More…

#6

Gannon University

Erie, PA

Gannon University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the small city of Erie, Gannon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Gannon graduate students pay an average of $20,660 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Nursing at Gannon University Report

#7

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

With a ranking of #7, DeSales University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the rural area of Center Valley, DeSales is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at DeSales are $21,120 a year.

Read More…

#8

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Villanova graduate students pay an average of $21,199 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Villanova not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Nursing at Villanova University Report

#9

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA

Waynesburg University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Waynesburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Waynesburg.

Waynesburg graduate students pay an average of $16,440 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at Waynesburg University

#10

Neumann University

Aston, PA

Neumann University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Aston, Neumann is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Neumann are $14,690 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 3,148
Maryland 922
New Jersey 691
District of Columbia 534
Delaware 174

One of 29 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Medicine 28,629
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 24,774
Public Health 19,473
Health & Medical Administrative Services 17,335
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 16,952

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 16 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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