2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois
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.
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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out an average of $33,687 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $283.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $42,375 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $862, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great place for nursing students. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $44,206 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $247, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $66,847 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 $465.
Out of the 87 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Oak Point University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Oak Brook, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Oak Point accumulate an average of around $43,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $351, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Rasmussen University - Illinois ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois carry an average student debt load of $22,529. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $221, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Rush University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Nursing majors at Rush University take out an average of $80,137 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $24,250 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 $355.
With a ranking of #9, Bradley University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Bradley take out an average of $56,212 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $689, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Lewis University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Lewis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Romeoville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Lewis accumulate an average of around $36,416 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $483, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at DePaul take out an average of $99,851 in student loans while working on their egree.
Benedictine University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lisle.
Nursing majors at Benedictine U take out an average of $23,305 in student loans while working on their egree.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Olivet Nazarene take out an average of $34,351 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $293, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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 |
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
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.