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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

70 Colleges
$67,647 Avg Salary
$27,241 Avg Student Debt

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.

The Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 70 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which online programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Nursing Colleges.

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out is $38,460. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Purdue University Northwest is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. Purdue Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Hammond.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Purdue Northwest carry an average student debtload of $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $152.

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#3

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

Out of the 70 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Global landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Purdue University Global take out is $39,595. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $157, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Purdue University Global Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

On average, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $767, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 70 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Flint landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Flint, UM Flint is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UM Flint accumulate an average of around $40,680 in student debt.

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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UW Oshkosh take out is $26,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $177.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#7

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH

With a ranking of #7, Cleveland State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cleveland State University carry an average student debtload of $29,152. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $209, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Cleveland State University

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UWM is a very large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UWM accumulate an average of around $27,902 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $182, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $24,104.

Full Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#10

Davenport University

Grand Rapids, MI

Davenport University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Grand Rapids, Davenport University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Davenport University accumulate an average of around $44,065 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $192, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for online Nursing students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
12 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
13 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
14 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI

Explore the most popular online nursing colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 7,345
Ohio 13,973
Illinois 21,938
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

More Nursing Rankings in the Great Lakes Region

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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