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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 31,555 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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 128 schools in the Plains States Region 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.

#1

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Our analysis found Capella University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Capella University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,936.

Read full report on Nursing at Capella University

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Saint Paul is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Concordia University, Saint Paul carry an average student debt load of $36,494.

Read More…

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Nebraska Medical Center helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the large city of Omaha, UNMC is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 86% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from UNMC take out $24,990 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 $236.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Nebraska Medical Center

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Goldfarb School of Nursing carry an average student debt load of $28,828. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $350.

Full Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Report

The College of Saint Scholastica did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. St. Scholastica is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Duluth.

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

Nursing majors at St. Scholastica take out an average of $32,525 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $314, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at The College of Saint Scholastica Report

South Dakota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

Of the 315 students majoring in nursing at South Dakota State, 13% are male and 87% are female.

Nursing majors at South Dakota State take out an average of $29,938 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 $162.

Read More…

#8

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Creighton take out $28,316 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $483, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Creighton University Report

Mercy College of Health Sciences came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Mercy College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.

Of the 278 students majoring in nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences, 14% are male and 86% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences take out $32,347 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $330.

Read More…

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 266 students majoring in nursing at Minnesota State Mankato, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Nursing majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out an average of $28,013 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#11

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO

With a ranking of #11, Rockhurst University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Rockhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City.

About 91% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 9% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rockhurst take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,482. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $275.

Read full report on Nursing at Rockhurst University

Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from CMU CGES take out $29,850 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies

#13

Winona State University

Winona, MN

Winona State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Winona State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,953. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $190, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Winona State University Report

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public school with a very large student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Mizzou take out $23,696 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $425, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#15

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

Of the 215 students majoring in nursing at Iowa, 14% are male and 86% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Iowa take out $25,295 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $221, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Iowa

MidAmerica Nazarene University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. MNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Olathe.

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

Nursing majors at MNU take out an average of $28,384 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $429.

Read More…

With a ranking of #17, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UMSL take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,760. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $164.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Missouri - St Louis

#18

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. KU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at KU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,714.

Full Nursing at University of Kansas Report

With a ranking of #19, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the city of Fargo.

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

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debt load of $30,764.

Full Nursing at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
20 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
21 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
22 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
23 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
24 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
25 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Nebraska 1,908
Minnesota 14,890
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Kansas 2,633

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.

  • 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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