2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 60 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named DeVry University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for students working on their graduate certificate. DeVry University - Illinois is a private for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 821 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DeVry University - Illinois. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 561 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 336 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Loyola Chicago. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Benedictine University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 326 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 86% were women.
Benedictine U does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 278 students in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
Illinois State 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 81% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #6, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 226 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Northwestern accumulate an average of $21,679 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Northwestern does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 2% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
National Louis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 134 students in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NLU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 133 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 47% were women.
EIU 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 75% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 87 students in 2020-2021.
Around 77% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Olivet Nazarene does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #10, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 80 students in 2020-2021.
Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at University of Saint Francis, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. 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.
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 80 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Concordia University, Chicago does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Aurora University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Aurora University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 58 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 93% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Aurora. During the 2019-2020 year, about 87% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 91% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at The Chicago School Chicago Campus, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 28% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. This large public school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 45 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
UIC 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. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 95% took at least some of their classes online.
Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Addison, Illinois, the large private for-profit school handed out 71 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Chamberlain - Illinois is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.
With a ranking of #16, Rush University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 41 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Rush University does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Western Illinois University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 39 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at WIU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Lewis University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Lewis is located in Romeoville, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.
Online graduate courses are available at Lewis, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SIUE. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #20, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their graduate certificate. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 94% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Bradley. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Northern Illinois University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NIU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 43% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 26 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $22,872 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 46% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIS. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
DePaul University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 21 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 67% were women.
One thing to take note of is that DePaul does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.
Adler University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular graduate certificate programs. Adler is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Around 94% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Adler. In fact, around 31% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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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