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Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

38 Colleges
$22,684 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,238 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Our analysis found Governors State University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at GSU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,674.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from SIUE take out $23,837 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $215.

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Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $21,394. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $375.

Illinois State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from EIU take out $22,213 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Chamberlain University - Illinois is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chamberlain - Illinois are $20,250 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois carry an average student debtload of $37,103. 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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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. Nursing majors at WIU take out an average of $26,071 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UIC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,477. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $299, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. Nursing majors at NIU take out an average of $33,767 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Chicago State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, CSU is a public school with a small student population.

CSU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Lakeview College of Nursing ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Danville, Lakeview College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Lakeview College of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $18,550 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Lakeview College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $29,257 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 $190.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value 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 26 schools only.

  • 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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