Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

113 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 31,555 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 113 schools in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 15% Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Missouri to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Chamberlain - Missouri is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of St. Louis.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Missouri carry an average student debtload of $37,103. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $256, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Missouri Report

#2

Ottawa University - Kansas City

Overland Park, KS

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ottawa University - Kansas City. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Overland Park, Ottawa University - Kansas City is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ottawa University - Kansas City take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $29,652.

Read full report on Nursing at Ottawa University - Kansas City

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Nebraska Medical Center is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Omaha, UNMC is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UNMC carry an average student debtload of $24,990. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $236.

Read More…

#4

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Saint Benedict. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph.

Read full report on Nursing at College of Saint Benedict

#5

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Webster University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Webster University Report

#6

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella 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. Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Nursing majors at Capella University take out an average of $28,936 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Capella University Report

Bemidji 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. Located in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Bemidji State University carry an average student debtload of $32,595.

Read full report on Nursing at Bemidji State University

#8

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

Gustavus Adolphus College 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. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Peter.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, Mayville State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mayville State University is a small public school located in the remote area of Mayville.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Mayville State University accumulate an average of around $33,395 in student debt.

Read More…

Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at CMU CGES take out an average of $29,850 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Report

#11

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

With a ranking of #11, University of Kansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. KU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from KU carry an average student debtload of $23,714.

Full Nursing at University of Kansas Report

With a ranking of #12, Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at MSU Moorhead accumulate an average of around $33,360 in student debt.

Read More…

With a ranking of #13, Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Marshall.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southwest Minnesota State University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $32,041.

Read full report on Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University

Herzing University - Minneapolis landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Herzing University - Minneapolis is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Minneapolis.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Herzing University - Minneapolis take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $42,677. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $204.

Full Nursing at Herzing University - Minneapolis Report

#16

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Creighton take out an average of $28,316 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $483, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Creighton University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Grantham University Lenexa, KS
18 Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Saint Louis, MO
19 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
20 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
21 Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN
22 Winona State University Winona, MN

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Nebraska 1,908
Minnesota 14,890
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Kansas 2,633

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

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.

Featured Schools

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.