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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri

54 Colleges
$67,432 Avg Salary
$29,440 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 Missouri. In total, 6,840 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Missouri.

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. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 54 schools in Missouri 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 Missouri.

Our analysis found Maryville University of Saint Louis to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Missouri. Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Maryville U take out is $51,555. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $408, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Maryville University of Saint Louis Report

The excellent programs at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Missouri. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Goldfarb School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $35,071 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 $399.

Read full report on Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Missouri - Kansas City. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri list. UMKC is a large public school located in the large city of Kansas City.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UMKC accumulate an average of around $57,224 in student debt.

Read More…

#4

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

The excellent programs at Saint Louis University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Missouri. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Louis.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SLU carry an average student debt load of $43,682. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $462, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Louis University

#5

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Rockhurst University is a great place for nursing students. Rockhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Kansas City.

Nursing majors at Rockhurst take out an average of $28,000 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 $299.

Full Nursing at Rockhurst University Report

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Mizzou accumulate an average of around $24,993 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $405.

Full Nursing at University of Missouri - Columbia Report

#7

Cox College

Springfield, MO

With a ranking of #7, Cox College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Cox College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cox College carry an average student debt load of $27,575.

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University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UMSL take out is $41,594. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $226.

Full Nursing at University of Missouri - St Louis Report

Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the distant town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CMU CGES take out is $15,917.

Full Nursing at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Report

Southwest Baptist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Southwest Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Bolivar.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Southwest Baptist University carry an average student debt load of $20,454. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $130.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

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

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

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.

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