2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois
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.
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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Graham Hospital School of Nursing the best school in Illinois for nursing students. Located in the town of Canton, Graham Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out of the 79 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of North Chicago, RFUMS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from RFUMS carry an average student debtload of $179,695.
Read full report on Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Out of the 79 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the # 3 spot on the list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
On average, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois take out $33,687 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $283.
Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois
Out of the 79 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Ambria College of Nursing landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Hoffman Estates, Ambria College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Ambria College of Nursing take out $30,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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 midsize city of Rockford.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois carry an average student debtload of $22,529. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $221, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois
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 city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rush University accumulate an average of around $80,137 in student debt.
With a ranking of #7, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Bloomington.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Illinois Wesleyan take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $297.
With a ranking of #8, Saint Anthony College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Rockford, SACN is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SACN take out is $20,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.
Read full report on Nursing at Saint Anthony College of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $42,375 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $862, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of St Francis landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at University of Saint Francis accumulate an average of around $38,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $410.
Bradley University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Bradley carry an average student debtload of $56,212. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $689, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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 | Oak Brook, 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 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 Related Rankings by Major
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 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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