2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Minnesota with 14,890 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. This report analyzed 45 schools in Minnesota to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Mayo Clinic School of Medicine the best school in Minnesota for nursing students. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is a great place for nursing students. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Winona.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SMU MN carry an average student debtload of $32,139.
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Out of the 45 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the # 3 spot on the list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Saint Joseph.
On average, nursing graduates from CSB take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Bemidji State University take out is $30,446.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rasmussen University - Minnesota. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of St. Cloud.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota accumulate an average of around $35,539 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $161.
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Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Peter.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gustavus Adolphus accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Southwest Minnesota State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Marshall.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southwest Minnesota State University take out is $31,217.
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Northwest Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at NTC accumulate an average of around $31,500 in student debt.
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Herzing University - Minneapolis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. Herzing University - Minneapolis is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Minneapolis.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Herzing University - Minneapolis carry an average student debtload of $45,508. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $204, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #10, Capella University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Capella University take out is $27,599.
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Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
More Nursing Rankings in Minnesota
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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