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Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

16 Schools Ranked

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
$13,839 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of St Francis to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of Saint Francis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 89% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of St Francis

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
$17,400 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at Bradley University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bradley does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 95% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Bradley University Report

#3

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
$14,960 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lewis University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at Lewis, 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, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
$9,773 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 16 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 4 spot on the list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 81% took at least some of their classes online.

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#5

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
$19,894 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Loyola Chicago. During the 2019-2020 year, about 92% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Loyola University Chicago

#6

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Olivet Nazarene does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Olivet Nazarene University

#7

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois
$19,640 Average Tuition & Fees

Benedictine University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Benedictine U does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Benedictine University

$17,277 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

UIC does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#9

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
$11,390 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at NIU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 43% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Northern Illinois University

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
$14,184 Average Tuition & Fees

North Park University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list.

Online graduate courses are available at North Park, 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, 92% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on North Park University

#11

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
$32,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Elmhurst University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Elmhurst. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 64% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Elmhurst University Report

#12

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois
$9,316 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #12, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

SIUE does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 86% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#13

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, McKendree University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since McKendree does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 68% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#14

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
$15,450 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Xavier University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at SXU. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 63% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#15

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
$8,320 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #15, Governors State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at GSU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 35% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#16

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
$18,341 Average Tuition & Fees

DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at DePaul. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 16 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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