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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

12 Colleges
$99,011 Avg Salary
$21,624 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Illinois with 21,938 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate programs for healthcare students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Top 10 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of St Francis the best school in Illinois for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at University of St Francis

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Bradley University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Illinois. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley University

#4

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Lewis University is a great place for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Lewis University

#5

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rush University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Rush University

With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.

Full Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.

Full Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing Report

Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Nursing at Loyola University Chicago

#10

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

With a ranking of #10, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their graduate certificate. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.

Read full report on Nursing at Olivet Nazarene University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

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

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

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 12 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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