2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 99 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Ottawa University - Kansas City to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region .
Ottawa University - Kansas City does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $12,869. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Ottawa University - Kansas City accumulate an average of $31,724 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Ottawa University - Kansas City. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Out of the 99 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the # 2 spot on the list.
The average tuition and fees at CSB is $50,126. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Webster University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Webster does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $28,700. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,185 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Webster, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 53% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Capella University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $36,933 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Capella University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Bemidji State University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Bemidji State University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $9,806. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $26,810 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Bemidji State University. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 48% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Gustavus Adolphus does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $50,490. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,571 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Mayville State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Mayville State University is $7,622. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,756. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,896 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Mayville State University. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $6,720 to cover tuition and fees at CMU CGES. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,044 in loans while pursuing their degree.
CMU CGES does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 57% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Kansas landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
In-state students pay an average of $11,166 in tuition and fees if they attend KU full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $28,034. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,985 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that KU does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
Full-time students from Minnesota pay an average of $9,468 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend MSU Moorhead. Out-of-state students pay an average of $17,564. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,798 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at MSU Moorhead. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 55% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
The average tuition and fees at Southwest Minnesota State University is $9,482. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,598 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Southwest Minnesota State University. In fact, around 20% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #13, Creighton University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
If you want to attend Creighton, expect to pay an average of $44,524 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Creighton accumulate an average of $25,325 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Creighton does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 67% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Grantham University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
Grantham University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $8,280. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $33,932 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, Grantham University is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
St Olaf College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
Some students may be able to take online classes at St. Olaf. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 92% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
If you want to attend St. Scholastica, expect to pay an average of $39,410 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from St. Scholastica accumulate an average of $30,536 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
St. Scholastica does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 27% took at least some of their classes online.
Augsburg University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $41,007 to cover tuition and fees at Augsburg. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,790 in student loans.
Augsburg does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 18% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #18, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Winona State is $10,184. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $16,684. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Winona State accumulate an average of $26,110 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Winona State does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 43% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Luther College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $46,760 to cover tuition and fees at Luther. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,246 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, Luther is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
Northwestern College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,590 to cover tuition and fees at NWC. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
NWC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 27% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list.
Full-time students from Minnesota pay an average of $15,254 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UMN Twin Cities. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $33,818. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,575 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that UMN Twin Cities does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Minnesota State Mankato is $9,146. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $18,200. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,437 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Minnesota State Mankato, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 47% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Concordia College at Moorhead landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs.
Concordia College Moorhead does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $28,016. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Concordia College Moorhead accumulate an average of $22,901 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Concordia College Moorhead. In 2019-2020 about 51% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Augustana University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
Augustana Sioux Falls does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $35,914. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,115 in student loans.
With a ranking of #25, Nebraska Wesleyan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree.
NWU does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $38,334. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,239 in student loans.
NWU does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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