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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 analysis found Mayo Clinic School of Medicine to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Minnesota. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. The school came in at #2 on this year’s 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

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#3

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Saint Benedict. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Saint Joseph.

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

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the remote 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.

Full Nursing at Bemidji State University Report

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Out of the 45 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Minnesota landed the # 5 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school located in the small 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.

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#6

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

With a ranking of #6, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Saint Peter.

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

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Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Southwest Minnesota State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the 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.

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With a ranking of #8, Northwest Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a small student population.

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

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Herzing University - Minneapolis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. 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.

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#10

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

With a ranking of #10, Capella University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. 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.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools 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.

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