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Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

38 Colleges
$22,684 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,238 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Our analysis found Governors State University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GSU are $10,108 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $26,674.

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Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 2 spot on the list. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SIUE take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,837. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $21,394 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Illinois State is ranked #5 for overall quality for nursing in Illinois.

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#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at EIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,213.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $20,250 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $37,103 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.

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With a ranking of #6, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from WIU take out $26,071 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UIC carry an average student debtload of $21,477. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $299, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. On average, nursing graduates from NIU take out $33,767 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Chicago 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 large city of Chicago, CSU is a public school with a small student population.

CSU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Lakeview College of Nursing landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Danville, Lakeview College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lakeview College of Nursing are $18,550 a year. Nursing majors at Lakeview College of Nursing take out an average of $29,257 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $190.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges 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

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 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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