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Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region

194 Colleges
$35,646 Avg Salary
$16,915 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for You

With 84,274 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, practical nursing and nursing assistants is the #2 most popular major in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. 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 to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 194 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants program at each school on the list.

Check out the practical nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Great Lakes Region .

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our analysis found Ivy Tech Community College to be the most popular school for practical nursing and nursing assistants students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out is $14,751.

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The excellent programs at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in the Great Lakes Region . NWTC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay.

On average, practical nursing graduates from NWTC take out $15,210 in student loans while working on their degree.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gateway Technical College is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Gateway Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Gateway Technical College take out $12,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Gateway Technical College Report

Out of the 194 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Fox Valley Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. FVTC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at FVTC accumulate an average of around $14,176 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Fox Valley Technical College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Waukesha County Technical College is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, practical nursing graduates from WCTC take out $11,992 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Waukesha County Technical College Report

#6

Hondros College of Nursing

Westerville, OH

Hondros College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Westerville, Hondros College of Nursing is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Hondros College of Nursing take out is $21,651. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $110, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Hondros College of Nursing

Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Practical Nursing majors at CVTC take out an average of $14,435 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report

Madison Area Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Madison College accumulate an average of around $15,173 in student debt.

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#9

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

College of Lake County ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at College of Lake County accumulate an average of around $12,000 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #10, Columbus State Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Columbus, Columbus State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Columbus State Community College Report

#11

Moraine Park Technical College

Fond du Lac, WI

Moraine Park Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #11 on the list. Moraine Park Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Fond du Lac.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Moraine Park Technical College accumulate an average of around $6,975 in student debt.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Moraine Park Technical College

William Rainey Harper College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Harper College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Palatine.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Harper College take out $9,400 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at William Rainey Harper College

Milwaukee Area Technical College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. MATC is a large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at MATC take out is $20,394.

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Northcentral Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #14 on the list. North Central Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Wausau.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at North Central Technical College accumulate an average of around $9,989 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #15, Sinclair Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Sinclair Community College is a large public school located in the city of Dayton.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Sinclair Community College carry an average student debt load of $10,066.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Sinclair Community College

#16

Kaskaskia College

Centralia, IL

Kaskaskia College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the rural area of Centralia, Kaskaskia College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Kaskaskia College accumulate an average of around $6,944 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Kaskaskia College Report

With a ranking of #17, Lansing Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Lansing, LCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#17

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, IL

With a ranking of #17, Lincoln Land Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Springfield, LLCC is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at LLCC accumulate an average of around $9,500 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Lincoln Land Community College Report

#19

Blackhawk Technical College

Janesville, WI

Blackhawk Technical College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. BTC is a small public school located in the small suburb of Janesville.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from BTC carry an average student debt load of $6,604.

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#20

John A Logan College

Carterville, IL

John A Logan College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Carterville, John A Logan College is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at John A Logan College take out is $13,125.

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Heartland Community College ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Heartland Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Practical Nursing majors at Heartland Community College take out an average of $12,419 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Heartland Community College

With a ranking of #22, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Southwest Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Fennimore.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Southwest Tech take out $8,400 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Butler Tech - D Russel Lee Career Center came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Hamilton, D Russel Lee Career Center is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at D Russel Lee Career Center take out is $12,698.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Butler Tech - D Russel Lee Career Center

With a ranking of #24, City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Chicago, Malcolm X College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Malcolm X College take out is $10,162.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College

#25

Mid-State Technical College

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

With a ranking of #25, Mid-State Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids, Mid-State is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Mid-State accumulate an average of around $11,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Mid-State Technical College

#26

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL
#27

Apollo Career Center

Lima, OH
#28

Western Technical College

La Crosse, WI
#29

Oakton Community College

Des Plaines, IL

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
30 Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL
31 Dorsey College, Woodhaven Woodhaven, MI
31 Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL
33 Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL
34 Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby, IL
35 Parkland College Champaign, IL
36 McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL
37 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI
38 American Institute of Alternative Medicine Columbus, OH

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges by State

Explore the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 0
Ohio 0
Illinois 0

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 44,900
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 34,557
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,817

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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