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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

87 Colleges
$71,879 Avg Salary
$21,916 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 87 schools in Illinois to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.

Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.

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The excellent programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $767, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great place for nursing students. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SIUE take out is $23,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

On average, nursing graduates from UIC take out $19,528 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $299, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#5

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at Oak Point University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Chicago, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Oak Point take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $342, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $35,539 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $161.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois Report

#7

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Rush University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Rush University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Illinois State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

On average, nursing graduates from Illinois State take out $22,562 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

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#9

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Bradley take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $580.

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#10

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

On average, nursing graduates from Lewis take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $468, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Lewis University

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at DePaul University

Benedictine University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lisle.

On average, nursing graduates from Benedictine U take out $21,359 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Benedictine University

#13

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

With a ranking of #13, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $246, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 Schools in Illinois award.

Rank College Location
14 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
15 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
16 Aurora University Aurora, IL
17 Methodist College Peoria, IL

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 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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