Best Online Certificate Programs of 2023
Online certificate programs are a popular and easy way for students and professionals to enhance their knowledge, gain new skills, and increase their earning potential in nearly every industry without having to disrupt their commitments to work and family.
Why This Matters
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EARN OVER $4,500 MORE PER YEAR
Workers with some college education but no degree earn an average of $899 per week, while workers who only have a high school diploma earn $809 per week. Over the course of a year, this adds up to an additional $4,680 of income.
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UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 5.5%
A certificate will also increase your odds of staying consistently employed. Workers with some college education but no degree have an unemployment rate of 5.5% — the unemployment rate for those with only a high school diploma is 6.2%.
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EARN YOUR CERTIFICATE IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR
Most certificate programs require between 12 and 30 credits, and they are designed to be completed relatively quickly. This means you can start applying your knowledge to new jobs in as little as one year.
Our Research
This list features some of the best online certificate programs at top colleges across the country. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions.
We evaluated each school’s program on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for online students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of online certificate programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The Top 64 Online Certificate Programs
What You Should Know About This Degree
Many students seek certificate programs as a fast, flexible way to learn new skills, prepare for career advancement, or test whether they want to pursue a full degree in a particular subject.
If you are enrolling in a certificate program with the intention of applying those credits to a degree at a future point in time, it is important that you attend a program at a regionally accredited institution. Credits from regionally accredited institutions are more widely recognized and transferable between regionally accredited schools. If you enroll in a program at a nationally accredited school, be advised that you may have difficulty transferring credits to other institutions.
When considering attending an online program, you will want to confirm that the school you plan to attend is authorized to grant degrees to students who live where you do. Regulations for degree-granting online programs vary by state, so it’s in your best interest to get this information before enrolling in a program.
A post-secondary certificate is the minimum level of education required for a number of careers, but many industries require at least a bachelor’s degree for higher paying jobs and professional credentials. Think carefully about your career goals and if investing the time and money into a certificate is the best route to achieving them.
What’s Next?
Here are some questions to ask when researching Online Certificate programs:
- How are online courses delivered? Online courses allow students to learn from anywhere, but some programs offer more flexibility than others. In courses that are delivered synchronously, students must still attend classes at set times, although they do so remotely. Asynchronous courses are more flexible, as students complete lessons and assignments according to their own schedules. Make sure you select a program with a course delivery method that works for your schedule.
- Do you need financial aid? While certificate programs are a flexible and fast way to gain new skills, not all certificate programs are eligible for federal financial aid like loans and grants. Talk to a program representative or financial aid counselor to find out if you will be eligible to receive aid based on the program in which you enroll. Otherwise, be prepared to find other means of paying for your program.
The enrollment process for certificate programs can vary. Some may require an application, while you can simply register and pay for others. As you research certificate programs, take a look at their enrollment requirements and gather any necessary paperwork (applications, transcripts, etc.) well ahead of registration deadlines.