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Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

19 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary
$76,952 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor'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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Illinois to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Illinois the best school in Illinois for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

On average, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois take out $48,867 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#2

Rush University

Chicago, IL

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Rush University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Nursing majors at Rush University take out an average of $71,010 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Rush University Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the suburb of North Chicago, RFUMS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at RFUMS accumulate an average of around $164,628 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Report

#4

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Bradley University is a great place for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from Bradley carry an average student debtload of $75,138.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley University

Out of the 19 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of St Francis landed the # 5 spot on the list. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.

Full Nursing at University of St Francis Report

#6

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

With a ranking of #6, Lewis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Lewis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

Full Nursing at Lewis University Report

Saint Anthony College of Nursing came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, SACN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Anthony College of Nursing

#8

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL

McKendree University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree nursing programs. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon.

Read full report on Nursing at McKendree University

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Full Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing Report

#10

North Park University

Chicago, IL

North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, North Park is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at North Park University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools 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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 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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