Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota

45 Colleges
$74,232 Avg Salary
$31,893 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Minnesota with 14,890 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 45 schools in Minnesota to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Mayo Clinic School of Medicine the best school in Minnesota for nursing students. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Rochester.

Read full report on Nursing at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Winona.

Nursing majors at SMU MN take out an average of $32,139 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Report

Request Information
#3

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

Out of the 45 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the # 3 spot on the list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Joseph.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from CSB carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Full Nursing at College of Saint Benedict Report

Request Information

The excellent programs at Bemidji State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Minnesota. Located in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Bemidji State University accumulate an average of around $30,446 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rasmussen University - Minnesota. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school located in the city of St. Cloud.

On average, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out $35,539 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $161, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Minnesota Report

Request Information
#6

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Peter.

On average, nursing graduates from Gustavus Adolphus take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Request Information

Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Marshall.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Southwest Minnesota State University accumulate an average of around $31,217 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University

Request Information

Northwest Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from NTC take out $31,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Request Information

Herzing University - Minneapolis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. Herzing University - Minneapolis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Minneapolis.

Nursing majors at Herzing University - Minneapolis take out an average of $45,508 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $204.

Full Nursing at Herzing University - Minneapolis Report

Request Information
#10

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Capella University accumulate an average of around $27,599 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Capella University Report

Request Information

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 6,840
Kansas 2,633
Iowa 2,966
Nebraska 1,908
North Dakota 976
South Dakota 1,022

Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.