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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

113 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

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 analysis found Chamberlain University - Missouri to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the suburb of St. Louis, Chamberlain - Missouri is a private for-profit college with a 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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#2

Ottawa University - Kansas City

Overland Park, KS

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Ottawa University - Kansas City helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Plains States Region . Ottawa University - Kansas City is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Ottawa University - Kansas City

Out of the 113 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska Medical Center landed the # 3 spot on the list. UNMC is a small public school located in the 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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#4

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

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.

Read full report on Nursing at College of Saint Benedict

#5

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Webster University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

Full Nursing at Webster University Report

#6

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Capella University carry an average student debtload of $28,936.

Read full report on Nursing at Capella University

Bemidji State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Bemidji State University

#8

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

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 town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Gustavus Adolphus College

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 #9 on the list. Located in the rural 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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With a ranking of #10, Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. 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.

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

#11

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

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.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Kansas

Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. MSU Moorhead is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Minnesota State University - Moorhead

Southwest Minnesota 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 #13 on the list. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public college 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University

Herzing University - Minneapolis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Minneapolis, Herzing University - Minneapolis is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly 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.

Full Nursing at Herzing University - Minneapolis Report

#16

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the 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.

Full Nursing at Creighton University Report

Honorable Mentions

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

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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