2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You
With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 113 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for 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.
2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 15% Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Missouri the best school in the Plains States Region for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of St. Louis, Chamberlain - Missouri is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Missouri take out $37,103 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Ottawa University - Kansas City is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Ottawa University - Kansas City is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park.
Nursing majors at Ottawa University - Kansas City take out an average of $29,652 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Nebraska Medical Center. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNMC is a small public school located in the large city of Omaha.
On average, nursing graduates from UNMC take out $24,990 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 113 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph, CSB is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Out of the 113 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Webster University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
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Capella 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 #6 on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Capella University carry an average student debtload of $28,936.
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With a ranking of #7, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.
On average, nursing graduates from Bemidji State University take out $32,595 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Gustavus Adolphus College 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 #8 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Mayville State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote area of Mayville, Mayville State University is a public college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mayville State University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $33,395.
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Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Fayette.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from CMU CGES carry an average student debtload of $29,850.
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University of Kansas landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from KU take out $23,714 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Moorhead.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MSU Moorhead take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $33,360.
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With a ranking of #13, Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the remote town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Southwest Minnesota State University take out an average of $32,041 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Herzing University - Minneapolis ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Minneapolis, Herzing University - Minneapolis is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Herzing University - Minneapolis take out an average of $42,677 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $204, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Creighton University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Omaha.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Creighton carry an average student debtload of $28,316. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $483.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Grantham University | Lenexa, KS |
| 18 | Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College | Saint Louis, MO |
| 19 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 20 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 21 | Augsburg University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 22 | Winona State University | Winona, MN |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Plains States Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 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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