2023 Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
It's not easy to decide which computer science program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
The Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Computer Science Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 24 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for computer science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
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Top Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Ferris State University to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the Great Lakes Region . Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Ferris graduate students pay an average of $8,232 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Ferris does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 67% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Normal, Illinois, the large public school handed out 18 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. In 2019-2020 about 81% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lewis University is a great place for computer science students working on their graduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Lewis are $14,960 per year.
Lewis 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 2019-2020 about 85% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Marquette University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out graduate certificates to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Marquette graduate students pay an average of $21,960 in tuition and fees each year.
Marquette 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, 58% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Marquette also took the #5 spot in our Best Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region rankings.
Out of the 24 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s value ranking, DeVry University - Illinois landed the # 5 spot on the list. DeVry University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 120 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at DeVry University - Illinois are $17,552 per year.
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.
Baker College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Owosso, Michigan that handed out 2 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Baker College are $12,750 per year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $46,807 in student loans.
Online graduate courses are available at Baker College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 87% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 a year.
UW - Madison 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 75% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at DePaul are $18,341 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DePaul. 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.
Grand Valley State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This large public school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 11 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
GVSU graduate students pay an average of $17,904 in tuition and fees each year.
GVSU 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 73% took at least some of their classes online.
Purdue University Global ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Purdue University Global graduate students pay an average of $10,582 in tuition and fees each year. Graduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $33,486 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Since the graduate programs at Purdue University Global are primarily online, it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Central Michigan University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate computer science programs. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the fairly large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Central Michigan are $15,644 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Central Michigan does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 61% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Davenport University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Davenport University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 8 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Davenport University graduate students pay an average of $17,208 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Davenport University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. UW Oshkosh is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UW Oshkosh are $18,760 per year.
One thing to take note of is that UW Oshkosh does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Lawrence Technological University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate computer science programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Southfield, Michigan, and it awarded 3 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Lawrence Tech graduate students pay an average of $18,436 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Lawrence Tech does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 95% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #15, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their graduate certificate. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 graduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at U-M are $50,464 per year. Graduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,014 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since U-M does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 74% took at least some of their classes online.
U-M also made our Best Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, coming in at #1.
With a ranking of #16, Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their graduate certificate. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 8 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Wright State University - Main Campus graduate students pay an average of $24,286 in tuition and fees each year. On average, graduate certificate students take out $28,259 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Wright State University - Main Campus 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 73% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate computer science programs. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school handed out 11 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
UC graduate students pay an average of $26,644 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,388 in student loans.
Online graduate courses are available at UC, 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, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Northwestern University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualifed graduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern graduate students pay an average of $56,567 in tuition and fees each year. Graduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $21,679 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Northwestern does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #2 for overall quality in the Great Lakes Region .
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
UWM graduate students pay an average of $25,651 in tuition and fees each year.
UWM 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 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #20, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their graduate certificate. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 121 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
UChicago graduate students pay an average of $63,936 in tuition and fees each year.
UChicago also made our Best Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, coming in at #3.
Wayne State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Detroit, Michigan, the large public school handed out 2 graduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Wayne State graduate students pay an average of $38,667 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Wayne State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 75% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Kent State University at Kent ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State University at Kent is a large public school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Kent State graduate students pay an average of $21,952 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Kent State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 57% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Eastern Michigan University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large public school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 1 graduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Eastern Michigan are $28,818 per year.
Eastern Michigan does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 93% took at least some of their classes online.
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Gary, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out graduate certificates to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at IU Northwest are $18,592 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at IU Northwest. In fact, around 73% 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 24 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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