2023 Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for teaching 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for teaching students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Illinois. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. 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.
Illinois State also took the #5 spot in our Best Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Concordia University, Chicago. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 43 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378 per year.
Concordia University, Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Olivet Nazarene University is a great place for teaching students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 81 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene graduate students pay an average of $12,190 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Olivet Nazarene does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Olivet Nazarene also made our Best Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #4.
Out of the 23 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s value ranking, Governors State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in University Park, Illinois, the small public school handed out 6 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at GSU are $14,674 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at GSU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 35% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of St Francis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Saint Francis are $13,839 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of Saint Francis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of Saint Francis also took the #3 spot in our Best Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois rankings.
McKendree University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 14 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
McKendree graduate students pay an average of $9,756 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at McKendree. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 68% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 40 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at EIU are $21,407 per year.
Online graduate courses are available at EIU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
National Louis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 113 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NLU are $12,096 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at NLU. In 2019-2020 about 59% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 1 students in 2020-2021.
UIS graduate students pay an average of $16,757 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,872 in student loans.
UIS does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #10, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their graduate certificate. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
WIU graduate students pay an average of $12,182 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since WIU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 71% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, the fairly large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at SIUE. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #12, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their graduate certificate. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 graduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NIU are $11,390 a year.
NIU 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. In fact, around 43% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Bradley University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Bradley graduate students pay an average of $17,400 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Bradley. 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.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. This large public school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UIUC are $30,862 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIUC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 90% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Loyola Chicago are $19,894 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Loyola Chicago. In fact, around 92% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate teaching programs. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large public school handed out 1 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
UIC graduate students pay an average of $28,468 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that UIC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Chicago State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate teaching programs. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small public school handed out 3 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at CSU are $15,218 a year.
Online graduate courses are available at CSU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 27% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
DePaul University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate teaching programs. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 graduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at DePaul are $18,341 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at DePaul. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUC are $33,064 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SIUC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 24% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #20, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their graduate certificate. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Wheaton College Illinois graduate students pay an average of $18,096 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Wheaton College Illinois. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 50% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate teaching programs. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Roosevelt are $21,605 a year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,458 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Roosevelt. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 44% took at least some of their classes online.
Northwestern University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Northwestern are $56,567 per year. Graduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $21,679 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Northwestern. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our Best Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois rankings.
University of Chicago came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UChicago are $63,936 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UChicago is ranked #2 for overall quality in Illinois.
Best Value Teaching Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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More Illinois Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 23 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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