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Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

19 Colleges
$115,233 Avg Salary
$76,952 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Doctor'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 Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 19 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs 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 doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

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

Of the 563 students majoring in nursing at Chamberlain - Illinois, 9% are male and 91% are female.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $48,867 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#2

Rush University

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rush University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from Rush University carry an average student debt load of $71,010.

Full Nursing at Rush University Report

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 133 students majoring in nursing at UIC, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Full Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

Women make up 74% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at SIUE take out an average of $86,134 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#5

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Bradley University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from Bradley carry an average student debt load of $75,138.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley University

With a ranking of #6, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of North Chicago, RFUMS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 54% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 46% are male.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at RFUMS accumulate an average of around $164,628 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 73% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Doctor's Degree, nursing majors at DePaul accumulate an average of around $101,937 in student debt.

Read More…

With a ranking of #8, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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

After completing their Doctor's Degree, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago carry an average student debt load of $68,435.

Read full report on Nursing at Loyola University Chicago

#9

Millikin University

Decatur, IL

Millikin University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Decatur, Millikin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 47% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 53% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Millikin take out $131,943 in student loans while working on their Doctor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Millikin University Report

#10

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL

McKendree University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lebanon.

Read full report on Nursing at McKendree University

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 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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