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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois

16 Colleges
$71,879 Avg Salary
$21,916 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular online programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Nursing Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Illinois the most popular online school in Illinois for nursing students. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.

Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

The excellent online programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $767.

Full Nursing at Loyola University Chicago Report

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Bradley take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $580.

Full Nursing at Bradley University Report

#4

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend McKendree University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois list. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from McKendree carry an average student debtload of $24,850.

Full Nursing at McKendree University Report

The excellent online programs at University of St Francis helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Joliet.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at University of Saint Francis take out is $29,375. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $332.

Full Nursing at University of St Francis Report

#6

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Governors State University 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 rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at GSU take out an average of $22,254 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#7

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

With a ranking of #7, Lewis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lewis take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $468.

Read More…

#8

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read More…

#9

Illinois College

Jacksonville, IL

With a ranking of #9, Illinois College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Jacksonville.

Read full report on Nursing at Illinois College

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Peoria, St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing take out $18,200 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $271.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

More Nursing Rankings in Illinois

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 16 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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