2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Nursing 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 Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 193 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Top Plains States Region Schools in Nursing
Our analysis found Mayo Clinic School of Medicine to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Out of the 193 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lutheran School of Nursing landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Lutheran School of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Lutheran School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $18,110.
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Out of the 193 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Missouri landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of St. Louis, Chamberlain - Missouri is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Missouri carry an average student debtload of $38,460. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
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The excellent programs at Mount Marty University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Plains States Region . Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.
Nursing majors at Mount Marty take out an average of $28,832 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ottawa University - Kansas City. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Ottawa University - Kansas City is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ottawa University - Kansas City take out is $26,768.
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University of Nebraska Medical Center came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UNMC is a small public school located in the large city of Omaha.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNMC carry an average student debtload of $23,737. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Winona, SMU MN is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SMU MN carry an average student debtload of $32,139.
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Webster University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Webster is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
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College of Saint Benedict landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Saint Joseph, CSB is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from CSB take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Bemidji State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Bemidji State University take out is $30,446.
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Rasmussen University - Minnesota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota accumulate an average of around $35,539 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $161.
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Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gustavus Adolphus accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Mayville State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote area of Mayville, Mayville State University is a public school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mayville State University carry an average student debtload of $32,615.
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University of Kansas ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at KU take out an average of $22,182 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Maryville U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Maryville U carry an average student debtload of $31,009. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.
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With a ranking of #16, Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Fayette.
On average, nursing graduates from CMU CGES take out $27,562 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Clarkson College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Clarkson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Omaha.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Clarkson College take out is $36,225.
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Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southwest Minnesota State University take out is $31,217.
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Northwest Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #19 on the list. NTC is a fairly small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at NTC accumulate an average of around $31,500 in student debt.
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Herzing University - Minneapolis came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Minneapolis, Herzing University - Minneapolis is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Herzing University - Minneapolis carry an average student debtload of $45,508. 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 ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Omaha.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Creighton carry an average student debtload of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $483.
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Capella University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Capella University take out is $27,599.
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St Olaf College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Northfield.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from St. Olaf carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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Bryan College of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, Bryan College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Bryan College of Health Sciences take out $30,125 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $234, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at Bryan College of Health Sciences Report
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Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Goldfarb School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Goldfarb School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $350.
Read full report on Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College
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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 Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Minnesota State University - Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 30 | Luther College | Decorah, IA |
| 31 | Northwestern College | Orange City, IA |
| 32 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 33 | Concordia College at Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 34 | Rasmussen University - Kansas | Topeka, KS |
| 35 | Augustana University | Sioux Falls, SD |
| 36 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 37 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 38 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools 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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