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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

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

Finding the Best Nursing 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 Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 87 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular 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 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. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $38,460 in student debt. 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Loyola University Chicago is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago carry an average student debt load of $26,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $767.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

On average, nursing graduates from SIUE take out $23,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $215.

Full Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great place for nursing students. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Nursing majors at UIC take out an average of $19,528 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $299, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at Oak Point University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the large suburb of Chicago, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at Oak Point take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree. 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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Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois accumulate an average of around $35,539 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $161, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

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Illinois State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

Nursing majors at Illinois State take out an average of $22,562 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 $375.

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#9

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Bradley take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $580.

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#10

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

Nursing majors at Lewis take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $468.

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#11

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Benedictine University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lisle.

Nursing majors at Benedictine U take out an average of $21,359 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#13

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Olivet Nazarene carry an average student debt load of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $246.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois award.

Rank College Location
14 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
15 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
16 Aurora University Aurora, IL
17 Methodist College Peoria, IL

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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