2023 Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Health Professions School for You
In 2020-2021, 977,800 health professions students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #2 most popular in the country.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 217 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Health Professions Colleges.
Top 25 Top Plains States Region Schools in Health Professions
Our 2023 rankings named A T Still University of Health Sciences the best school in the Plains States Region for health professions students. Located in the town of Kirksville, A T Still University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, health professions majors at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine accumulate an average of around $25,684 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Ottawa University - Online helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best health professions schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the distant town of Ottawa, Ottawa University - Online is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Ottawa University - Online carry an average student debtload of $26,485.
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Out of the 217 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Stephens College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Stephens is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Stephens take out is $44,921.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Dakota State University is a great place for health professions students. Located in the town of Madison, Dakota State is a public college with a small student population.
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Ottawa University - Kansas City ranked #6 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. Ottawa University - Kansas City is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Overland Park.
The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Ottawa University - Kansas City take out is $26,485.
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University of Nebraska Medical Center ranked #7 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNMC is a small public school located in the large city of Omaha.
The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at UNMC take out is $21,454. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $236.
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With a ranking of #8, Mount Marty University did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.
After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Mount Marty carry an average student debtload of $28,832.
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Waldorf University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #9 on the list. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the remote town of Forest City.
The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Waldorf take out is $37,305.
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University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health professions programs. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, health professions majors at UST MN accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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University of Minnesota - Crookston ranked #11 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Crookston, UMN Crookston is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, health professions majors at UMN Crookston accumulate an average of around $29,832 in student debt.
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Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Des Moines, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #13, Herzing University - Minneapolis did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students. Located in the suburb of Minneapolis, Herzing University - Minneapolis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Herzing University - Minneapolis carry an average student debtload of $34,855. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $204.
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Washington University in St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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With a ranking of #15, Washburn Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students. Located in the city of Topeka, Washburn Tech is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, health professions majors at Washburn Tech accumulate an average of around $16,798 in student debt.
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University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.
After completing their degree, health professions graduates from UMN Duluth carry an average student debtload of $24,655.
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Bemidji State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health professions programs. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
Health Professions majors at Bemidji State University take out an average of $30,446 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Clarkson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #18 on the list. Clarkson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Omaha.
On average, health professions graduates from Clarkson College take out $31,585 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Augsburg University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Augsburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, health professions graduates from Augsburg take out $24,918 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #20, University of North Dakota did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students. UND is a large public school located in the small city of Grand Forks.
After completing their degree, health professions graduates from UND carry an average student debtload of $27,167.
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Saint Ambrose University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, health professions graduates from St. Ambrose University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $500, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Rasmussen University - Minnesota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, health professions graduates from Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out $27,044 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $127, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health professions programs. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
On average, health professions graduates from Mizzou take out $23,006 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $397, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Mary came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Bismarck, UMary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Health Professions majors at UMary take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #25 on the list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Fayette.
While working on their degree, health professions majors at CMU CGES accumulate an average of around $27,562 in student debt.
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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 Health Professions Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 34 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 35 | Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College | Saint Louis, MO |
| 36 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 37 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 38 | Rockhurst University | Kansas City, MO |
| 39 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 40 | College of Saint Mary | Omaha, NE |
| 41 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 42 | WellSpring School of Allied Health - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
| 43 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
Best Health Professions Colleges by State
Explore the best health professions colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 5,886 |
| Minnesota | 25,582 |
| Iowa | 6,876 |
| South Dakota | 2,186 |
| Missouri | 16,143 |
| Nebraska | 4,665 |
| North Dakota | 2,083 |
More Health Professions Rankings in the Plains States Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Health Professions
Health Professions Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing | 322,592 |
| 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 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 35,945 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | 29,833 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 29,053 |
| Medicine | 28,629 |
| Dental Support Services | 26,399 |
| Communication Sciences | 22,298 |
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | 20,393 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 18,901 |
| Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services | 10,751 |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 9,210 |
| Other Health Professions | 7,984 |
| Dentistry | 6,770 |
| Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | 6,158 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 5,115 |
| Alternative Medicine & Systems | 3,564 |
| Chiropractic | 2,658 |
| Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies | 2,374 |
| Medical Illustration & Informatics | 2,089 |
| Optometry | 1,822 |
| Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences | 1,775 |
| Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services | 960 |
| Medical Science | 909 |
| Movement & Mind-Body Therapies | 294 |
| Alternative Medical Support Services | 227 |
| Energy & Biologically Based Therapies | 68 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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