2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 57,106 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 167 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Madison to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
On average, nursing graduates from UW - Madison take out $23,855 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Out of the 167 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Michigan landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Troy, Chamberlain - Michigan is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Michigan accumulate an average of around $37,103 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ottawa University - Milwaukee. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ottawa University - Milwaukee is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Brookfield.
Nursing majors at Ottawa University - Milwaukee take out an average of $29,652 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Ohio. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Columbus, Chamberlain - Ohio is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Ohio accumulate an average of around $37,103 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UWM Flexible Option is a fairly small public school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UWM Flexible Option carry an average student debtload of $29,922. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $182.
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Chamberlain University - Indiana landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Chamberlain - Indiana is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Indianapolis.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Indiana carry an average student debtload of $37,103. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $37,103 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UW - Eau Claire accumulate an average of around $24,728 in student debt.
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Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Loyola Chicago take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,313. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $767, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Illinois Wesleyan carry an average student debtload of $23,536.
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With a ranking of #11, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Hammond.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Purdue Northwest take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $27,233. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $152.
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Saint Anthony College of Nursing came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SACN is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rockford.
Nursing majors at SACN take out an average of $27,286 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $281, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UW Oshkosh take out $26,175 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $177, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at U-M take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,552. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $306.
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University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UW - Green Bay take out $29,014 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Marquette University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.
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Saint Mary’s College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. St. Mary's College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
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Ohio Northern University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. ONU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ada.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ONU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,721.
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With a ranking of #19, Oak Point University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Oak Point is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chicago.
Nursing majors at Oak Point take out an average of $30,893 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $342, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. UWM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.
On average, nursing graduates from UWM take out $29,922 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $182.
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Ball State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Ball State is a very large public school located in the small city of Muncie.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Ball State accumulate an average of around $25,568 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $241, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #22, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $272.
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Herzing University - Brookfield landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Herzing University - Brookfield is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookfield.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Herzing University - Brookfield take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $42,677. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $204, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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McKendree University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Lebanon, McKendree is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at McKendree accumulate an average of around $26,127 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #25, Milwaukee School of Engineering did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. MSOE is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MSOE take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $39,895.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 27 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 28 | Edgewood College | Madison, WI |
| 29 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 30 | Kettering College | Kettering, OH |
| 31 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 32 | Herzing University - Kenosha | Kenosha, WI |
| 33 | Carroll University | Waukesha, WI |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 7,345 |
| Ohio | 13,973 |
| Illinois | 21,938 |
| Indiana | 7,922 |
| Wisconsin | 5,410 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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