2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 193 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Best Plains States Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Oglala Lakota College the best value school in the Plains States Region for nursing students. Oglala Lakota College is a small public school located in the remote area of Kyle.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 a year.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southeast Community College Area is a great value for nursing students. Located in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,780 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southeast Community College take out is $28,750.
Read full report on Nursing at Southeast Community College Area
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Neosho County Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Neosho County Community College is a small public school located in the town of Chanute.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Neosho County Community College are $4,000 per year. Nursing majors at Neosho County Community College take out an average of $17,450 in student loans while working on their egree.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cloud County Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Concordia, Cloud County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Cloud County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,570 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Cloud County Community College take out $23,397 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Cloud County Community College
Out of the 193 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rochester Community and Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rochester Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $23,562 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College
With a ranking of #6, Lutheran School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, Lutheran School of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lutheran School of Nursing are $10,620 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Lutheran School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $18,110.
Metropolitan Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Omaha, MCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $4,680 a year. On average, nursing graduates from MCC take out $21,350 in student loans while working on their degree.
Hutchinson Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Hutchinson Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Hutchinson.
Hutchinson Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,470 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Hutchinson Community College carry an average student debtload of $23,665.
Northwest Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. NTC is a fairly small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NTC are $6,380 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at NTC accumulate an average of around $31,500 in student debt.
Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Fayette.
CMU CGES undergraduate students pay an average of $6,720 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from CMU CGES take out $27,562 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies
With a ranking of #11, Central Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Grand Island.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Community College are $4,590 per year. Nursing majors at Central Community College take out an average of $11,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
North Hennepin Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #12 on the list. North Hennepin Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from North Hennepin Community College carry an average student debtload of $31,784.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Hennepin Community College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Read full report on Nursing at North Hennepin Community College
Lake Region State College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Devils Lake, Lake Region State College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lake Region State College are $5,000 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Lake Region State College take out $22,813 in student loans while working on their degree.
Mid-Plains Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Mid-Plains Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of North Platte.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mid-Plains Community College are $4,320 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Mid-Plains Community College accumulate an average of around $15,858 in student debt.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a year. Nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out an average of $27,066 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
With a ranking of #16, Labette Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Labette Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Parsons.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Labette Community College are $4,288 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Labette Community College take out is $18,102.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Sioux City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,826 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Western Iowa Tech Community College accumulate an average of around $21,962 in student debt.
Inver Hills Community College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights, IHCC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at IHCC are $5,809 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from IHCC carry an average student debtload of $24,929.
Garden City Community College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Garden City Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Garden City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Garden City Community College are $4,020 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Garden City Community College carry an average student debtload of $13,000.
Northeast Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #19 on the list. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,010 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Northeast take out $20,701 in student loans while working on their degree.
Seward County Community College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Liberal, SCCC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SCCC are $4,832 a year.
Crowder College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Neosho, Crowder College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Crowder College are $5,088 per year. Nursing majors at Crowder College take out an average of $14,930 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #23, North Dakota State College of Science did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public college with a small student population.
North Dakota State College of Science undergraduate students pay an average of $6,606 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at North Dakota State College of Science take out is $27,445.
Full Nursing at North Dakota State College of Science Report
Ridgewater College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the town of Willmar.
Ridgewater College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,914 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Ridgewater College take out $25,534 in student loans while working on their degree.
Alexandria Technical & Community College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. ATCC is a small public school located in the town of Alexandria.
ATCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at ATCC take out an average of $19,254 in student loans while working on their egree.
ATCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Rest of the Top Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
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 Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Northeast Iowa Community College | Calmar, IA |
| 30 | St Cloud Technical and Community College | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 31 | Lake Area Technical Institute | Watertown, SD |
| 32 | Mount Marty University | Yankton, SD |
| 33 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 34 | Lake Superior College | Duluth, MN |
| 35 | Dodge City Community College | Dodge City, KS |
| 36 | Central Lakes College - Brainerd | Brainerd, MN |
| 37 | Northland Community and Technical College | Thief River Falls, MN |
| 38 | Hawkeye Community College | Waterloo, IA |
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
Nursing Related Majors for 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.
- 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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