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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois

79 Colleges
$71,879 Avg Salary
$21,916 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing 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.

The Best Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 79 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.

Top 15% Best Nursing Schools

Our analysis found Graham Hospital School of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the distant town of Canton, Graham Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is a great place for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of North Chicago, RFUMS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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The excellent programs at Chamberlain University - Illinois helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.

Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. 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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#4

Ambria College of Nursing

Hoffman Estates, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Ambria College of Nursing is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Hoffman Estates, Ambria College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ambria College of Nursing take out is $34,750.

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Out of the 79 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the # 5 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rockford.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $35,539 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $161, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#6

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

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#7

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Bloomington.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Illinois Wesleyan accumulate an average of around $26,855 in student debt.

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Saint Anthony College of Nursing came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing 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.

Nursing majors at SACN take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $281, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #9, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $767.

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University of St Francis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at University of Saint Francis take out is $29,375. 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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#11

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Bradley take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $580.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the state of Illinois that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in Illinois award.

Rank College Location
12 Oak Point University Chicago, IL
13 Illinois State University Normal, IL
14 Concordia University, Chicago River Forest, IL
15 Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL

Best 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

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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