2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Illinois. In total, 21,938 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Illinois.
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois carry an average student debtload of $37,103. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.
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Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $28,313 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 $767.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Illinois Wesleyan University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bloomington.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Illinois Wesleyan take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,536.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Saint Anthony College of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the midsize city of Rockford, SACN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at SACN accumulate an average of around $27,286 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $281, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Oak Point University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Chicago, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Oak Point accumulate an average of around $30,893 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $342.
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McKendree 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 #6 on the list. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from McKendree carry an average student debtload of $26,127.
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Illinois 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 #7 on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $21,394. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $375.
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Concordia University, Chicago 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 #8 on the list. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.
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University of St Francis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.
On average, nursing graduates from University of Saint Francis take out $30,617 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $332.
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With a ranking of #10, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Bradley take out an average of $26,036 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $580.
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 7,345 |
| Ohio | 13,973 |
| Indiana | 7,922 |
| Wisconsin | 5,410 |
More Nursing Rankings in Illinois
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing Focus Areas
| 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 |
Majors Similar 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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