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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

44 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate 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.

The Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in Illinois to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

Our 2023 rankings named Rasmussen University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for nursing students working on their associate degree. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois accumulate an average of around $32,326 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $175.

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Out of the 44 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Malcolm X College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

About 82% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 18% are male.

Nursing majors at Malcolm X College take out an average of $18,740 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William Rainey Harper College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 121 students majoring in nursing at Harper College, 12% are male and 88% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Harper College accumulate an average of around $19,644 in student debt.

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#4

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL

The in-demand associate degree programs at Waubonsee Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. Waubonsee is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Sugar Grove.

Women make up 81% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Waubonsee take out $17,386 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Waubonsee Community College

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Lincoln Land Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. LLCC is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

Women make up 92% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LLCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,153.

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#6

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL

College of DuPage did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from COD carry an average student debt load of $17,988.

Read full report on Nursing at College of DuPage

#7

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL

Joliet Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, Joliet Junior College is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Joliet Junior College accumulate an average of around $20,094 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Joliet Junior College

#8

Lake Land College

Mattoon, IL

Lake Land College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the distant town of Mattoon, Lake Land College is a public college with a small student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Lake Land College carry an average student debt load of $13,552.

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#8

Parkland College

Champaign, IL

With a ranking of #8, Parkland College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Champaign, Parkland College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Parkland College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,582.

Full Nursing at Parkland College Report

Elgin Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Elgin, ECC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 91 students majoring in nursing at ECC, 22% are male and 78% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from ECC take out $15,362 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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 25 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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