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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

41 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's 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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

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

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois carry an average student debt load 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.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 496 students majoring in nursing at Loyola Chicago, 13% are male and 87% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago carry an average student debt load of $28,313. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $767.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

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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#4

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Oak Point University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Chicago, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 85% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 15% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Oak Point carry an average student debt load of $30,893. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $342.

Full Nursing at Oak Point University Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 284 students majoring in nursing at UIC, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Nursing majors at UIC take out an average of $21,477 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. 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 #6, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Illinois State take out $21,394 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $375.

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#7

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

Of the 207 students majoring in nursing at Aurora, 16% are male and 84% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Aurora accumulate an average of around $25,376 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $191.

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Northern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from NIU carry an average student debt load of $33,767.

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#9

Methodist College

Peoria, IL

Methodist College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Methodist College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Methodist College take out $43,228 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 $288.

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#10

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL

Saint Xavier University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, SXU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SXU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $29,810. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $259.

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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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