2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree 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 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 128 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Capella University the most popular school in the Plains States Region for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.
Nursing majors at Capella University take out an average of $28,936 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Saint Paul is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Of the 415 students majoring in nursing at Concordia University, Saint Paul, 16% are male and 84% are female.
On average, nursing graduates from Concordia University, Saint Paul take out $36,494 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska Medical Center. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNMC is a small public school located in the city of Omaha.
Of the 392 students majoring in nursing at UNMC, 14% are male and 86% are female.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UNMC accumulate an average of around $24,990 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Plains States Region . Goldfarb School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Louis.
Of the 365 students majoring in nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing, 13% are male and 87% are female.
On average, nursing graduates from Goldfarb School of Nursing take out $28,828 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $350.
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The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from St. Scholastica carry an average student debt load of $32,525. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $314.
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South Dakota State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from South Dakota State carry an average student debt load of $29,938. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $162, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #8, Creighton University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Omaha.
Of the 308 students majoring in nursing at Creighton, 10% are male and 90% are female.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Creighton accumulate an average of around $28,316 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $483.
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Mercy College of Health Sciences landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $32,347 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $330.
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With a ranking of #10, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debt load of $28,013.
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Rockhurst University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Kansas City, Rockhurst is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.
Nursing majors at Rockhurst take out an average of $28,482 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $275, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Fayette.
Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at CMU CGES accumulate an average of around $29,850 in student debt.
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Winona State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.
Of the 230 students majoring in nursing at Winona State, 12% are male and 88% are female.
Nursing majors at Winona State take out an average of $25,953 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $190.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia.
Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Mizzou accumulate an average of around $23,696 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $425.
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With a ranking of #15, University of Iowa did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.
About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Iowa accumulate an average of around $25,295 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $221.
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With a ranking of #16, MidAmerica Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Olathe, MNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Of the 208 students majoring in nursing at MNU, 17% are male and 83% are female.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from MNU carry an average student debt load of $28,384. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $429.
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University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UMSL is a large public school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
Of the 205 students majoring in nursing at UMSL, 12% are male and 88% are female.
Nursing majors at UMSL take out an average of $28,760 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $164, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Kansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 204 students majoring in nursing at KU, 10% are male and 90% are female.
Nursing majors at KU take out an average of $23,714 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.
Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.
On average, nursing graduates from North Dakota State University take out $30,764 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 21 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 22 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 23 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 24 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 25 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
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 |
Nursing Related Majors
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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