One university with a profiled nutrition program serves Cleveland: Case Western Reserve University, whose Department of Nutrition in the School of Medicine offers 6 credentials. Tuition is $2,384 per graduate credit and $2,976 per undergraduate credit (2026-27, one rate for all students), and durations run from 16 months for the public health nutrition master’s to four years for the bachelor’s degrees.
Case Western has one ACEND program of its own, a Didactic Program in Dietetics, and its public health nutrition dietetic internship was voluntarily closed effective September 30, 2026. The RD route it still offers is a combined internship and M.S. through the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA’s separate ACEND internship. ACEND’s directory also lists internships at the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth, none of which is profiled here.
Nutrition Programs in Cleveland — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Western Reserve University Cleveland | B.S. and B.A. Nutrition — 120 credits Didactic Program in Dietetics — ACEND, within a degree M.S. Nutrition — 30 credits Combined Internship/M.S. — 30 credits minimum, with the VA M.S. Public Health Nutrition — 30 or 31 credits Ph.D. Nutrition | $2,384/credit graduate; M.S. ~$71.5K; combined route ~$55.0K after a $7,000 award (derived); bachelor’s ~$285.6K over four years | Hybrid (M.S., DPD); Campus (B.S., internship) | Yes — the DPD, then the combined internship/M.S. through the VA match |
Costs are the profile’s published and derived totals at 2026-27 rates, and Case Western charges the same rate regardless of residency. Other Ohio programs are on the Ohio nutrition programs page.
Cleveland Nutrition Schools
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland; Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine; private, with hybrid and campus programs.
- Didactic Program in Dietetics — ACEND, a 3.2 GPA to apply, completed within a bachelor’s or master’s
- M.S. Nutrition — 30 credits, about $71,520 (derived), not ACEND
- Combined Dietetic Internship/M.S. — 17 to 18 months, more than 1,200 hours per the VA, a $25,200 stipend
- B.S./B.A. Nutrition, M.S. Public Health Nutrition, and Ph.D. Nutrition — non-RD
The 2026-27 bulletin still lists the closed internship as current, and it names University Hospitals as an alternate site for the combined program while the department names only the VA. Full Case Western Reserve profile.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Cleveland
Which programs carry the credential
The DPD gives a verification statement, and the combined internship and M.S. is the only Case Western route to exam eligibility. Applicants who already hold the RDN credential are not eligible for it.
The match comes first
Admission to the combined program runs through DICAS with a verification statement in hand, with windows on October 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. The structure removes risk after admission, but the VA match itself is competitive and the cohort size was not found.
Cost architecture
A one-year M.S. with fees is about $62,000, while the combined route nets about $55,000 to $57,400 after a $7,000 award and pays a stipend of $25,200. Credit counts differ across the school’s pages, so confirm the total before budgeting.
Before applying in Cleveland, confirm which internship sites the combined program uses this year and the DPD’s accreditation, which has a reaccreditation site visit listed for November 15, 2026. For Kent State, Ohio State, and other Ohio programs, see the Ohio nutrition programs page.