2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Illinois. In total, 21,938 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Illinois.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 38 schools in Illinois to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Lincoln Land Community College the best value school in Illinois for nursing students working on their associate degree. LLCC is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LLCC are $6,840 per year. Nursing majors at LLCC take out an average of $22,153 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
LLCC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Elgin Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Elgin, ECC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECC are $7,140 per year. Nursing majors at ECC take out an average of $15,362 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, ECC is ranked #5 for overall quality for nursing in Illinois.
Read full report on Nursing at Elgin Community College
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Rend Lake College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Rend Lake College is a small public school located in the rural area of Ina.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rend Lake College are $6,000 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Rend Lake College carry an average student debtload of $12,957.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend John A Logan College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. John A Logan College is a small public school located in the small suburb of Carterville.
John A Logan College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,960 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from John A Logan College carry an average student debtload of $14,016.
Full Nursing at John A Logan College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Highland Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the distant town of Freeport, Highland Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Highland Community College are $6,846 a year. Nursing majors at Highland Community College take out an average of $19,818 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Southwestern Illinois College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SWIC are $6,390 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at SWIC accumulate an average of around $16,832 in student debt.
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Lake Land College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of Mattoon, Lake Land College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lake Land College are $8,104 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Lake Land College carry an average student debtload of $13,552.
Full Nursing at Lake Land College Report
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William Rainey Harper College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Harper College are $9,870 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Harper College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,644.
Harper College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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Oakton Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Oakton Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Des Plaines.
Oakton Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,446 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Oakton Community College take out an average of $11,885 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Waubonsee Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Waubonsee is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Sugar Grove.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Waubonsee are $9,271 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Waubonsee carry an average student debtload of $17,386.
Waubonsee excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.
Read full report on Nursing at Waubonsee Community College
Request InformationBest Value Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 7,345 |
| Ohio | 13,973 |
| Indiana | 7,922 |
| Wisconsin | 5,410 |
More Nursing Rankings in Illinois
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 26 schools only.
- 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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