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Best Nursing Schools in Missouri

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri

45 Colleges
$67,538 Avg Salary
$28,500 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Missouri with 6,840 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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.

The Best Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 45 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

Lutheran School of Nursing

Saint Louis, MO

Our analysis found Lutheran School of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Missouri. Lutheran School of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Lutheran School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $18,110.

Full Nursing at Lutheran School of Nursing Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Missouri. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Chamberlain - Missouri is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of St. Louis.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Missouri carry an average student debtload of $38,460. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.

Read More…

#3

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Webster University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Webster University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Maryville University of Saint Louis is a great place for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Maryville U carry an average student debtload of $31,009. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.

Full Nursing at Maryville University of Saint Louis Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Located in the distant town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from CMU CGES take out $27,562 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Goldfarb School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $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 $350.

Read full report on Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

#7

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

With a ranking of #7, Saint Louis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SLU carry an average student debtload of $26,192. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $493, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Texas County Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Located in the remote area of Houston, Bolivar Technical College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Bolivar Technical College take out an average of $24,792 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Texas County Technical College Report

#9

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO

Rockhurst University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Rockhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rockhurst carry an average student debtload of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $275, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#10

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO

Truman State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the town of Kirksville, Truman State is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Truman State accumulate an average of around $24,750 in student debt.

Read More…

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
Minnesota 14,890
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Iowa 2,966

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

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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