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 2021-2022.
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 medium-sized city of Rochester.
On average, nursing graduates from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine take out $58,424 in student loans while working on their degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Winona.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SMU MN take out is $46,867.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means College of Saint Benedict is a great place for nursing students. 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.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Bemidji State University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Bemidji State University take out an average of $15,254 in student loans while working on their egree.
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.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out is $22,529. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $221.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. 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.
Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. 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 $13,875.
Northwest Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the town of Bemidji, NTC is a public school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out is $16,637.
Herzing University - Minneapolis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Herzing University - Minneapolis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of St. Louis Park.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Herzing University - Minneapolis carry an average student debtload of $27,573. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $186, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at Herzing University - Minneapolis
With a ranking of #10, Capella University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
On average, nursing graduates from Capella University take out $34,172 in student loans while working on their degree.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
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 |
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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