A new tool is now available allowing users to compare the economic outcomes of more than 5,500 undergraduate certificate programs nationwide.gettyThinking of enrolling in a short-term undergraduate certificate program? Want to know how much you can expect to earn from completing one? You’re now in luck. Open Campus, in collaboration with The HEA Group, has launched the Certificate Earnings Explorer, an interactive online tool that allows users to explore and compare the economic outcomes of thousands of undergraduate certificate programs at accredited institutions across the United States.“We’re excited to partner with The HEA Group on this tool,” said Scott Smallwood, co-founder and CEO of Open Campus, in a press release. “Like so many things in higher education, short-term certificates aren’t just one thing. Our goal is to bring more transparency to that wide range of outcomes.”MethodologyThe tool summarizes earnings data for a total of 462,438 students enrolled in 5,592 undergraduate certificate programs across the nation. Using data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education, the IRS, and the 2023 American Community Survey, the research team was able to calculate the following data points for each program:the number of graduates receiving financial aid who completed a certificate in 2017-18 and/or 2018-19.their median earnings four years later, adjusted to 2024 dollars. Earnings included wages, salaries, and private business income. their earnings premium, which is defined as the additional income they earned compared to the median income of high school graduates in their state who had no college experience. For programs that enrolled more than 50% of students from out of state, the national median of $34,808 was used to determine the earnings premium, rather than the statewide median.Big Payoffs and Negative ReturnsUsers can search each of the 5o states and the District of Columbia for program outcomes. Or they can sort the data by fields of study (e.g., computer science, fire protection, gerontology).Overall, the median annual earnings of certificate holders was $42,942 ,yielding a median earnings premium of $8,269. But that average obscures huge differences in economic returns associated with different kinds of programs. For example, three certificate programs for Electrical and Power Transmission Installers generated annual earnings premiums in excess of $130,000 for their graduates.MORE FOR YOUThe vast majority of certificates in Nursing, Electromechanical Technologies, and Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance were likely to deliver large economic payoffs. By contrast, certificates in Cosmetology were likely to leave their students worse off financially; those program graduates had average earnings of $27,395, compared to the national median for high school graduates of $34,808.Good TimingThe new tool is being introduced at a time when more attention is being focused on the value of short-term certificates, which have become the fastest growing credential in higher education. According to the most recent National Student Clearinghouse Research’s Enrollment Insights: Final Spring Enrollment Trends Report, while undergraduate enrollment increased in Spring 2026 across all types of credentials, short-term certificates showed the biggest jump (+10.2%, +86,000 students), continuing the trend of recent years, outpacing the enrollment increases in both associate degree (+1.3%, +59,000) and bachelor’s degree (+1.0%, +85,000) programs.In addition, beginning July 1, 2026, a change in federal financial aid policies will allow students attending accredited institutions to use Pell Grants for 8–15-week workforce training programs that prepare them for careers in high demand fields and that meet additional requirements involving earnings, completion, and job placement rates. For example, to be eligible, programs must pass a “value-added earnings” test that measure whether its graduates are better off financially after completion.“Policymakers, students, institutions, and employers deserve access to transparent data about which programs are creating economic mobility and which are falling short,” said Michael Itzkowitz, founder and president of The HEA Group. “This tool is designed to help policymakers move beyond assumptions and make decisions grounded in evidence.”