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Best Nursing Schools in Indiana

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Indiana

31 Colleges
$68,703 Avg Salary
$30,125 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Indiana with 7,922 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Nursing Schools in Indiana ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 31 schools in Indiana to see which ones offered the best programs for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Indiana

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our analysis found Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Indiana. Located in the city of Lafayette, St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and University of Saint Francis Cooperative Nursing Program is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and University of Saint Francis Cooperative Nursing Program carry an average student debtload of $43,960. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $424.

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Out of the 31 schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Indiana landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Chamberlain - Indiana is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Indiana carry an average student debtload of $38,460. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $256, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Indiana Report

Out of the 31 schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Northwest landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Purdue Northwest take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $152, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Purdue University Northwest Report

#4

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, IN

The excellent programs at Saint Mary’s College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Indiana. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, St. Mary's College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at St. Mary's College accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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#5

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Out of the 31 schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Ivy Tech Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out is $17,979.

Full Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College Report

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Indiana list. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Purdue take out an average of $20,832 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $266, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

#7

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

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

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Ball State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $241.

Read full report on Nursing at Ball State University

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Evansville, USI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from USI take out $23,612 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $102.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Southern Indiana

#9

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN

Valparaiso University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Indiana ranking. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valparaiso.

Nursing majors at Valpo take out an average of $27,732 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 $261.

Full Nursing at Valparaiso University Report

#10

Huntington University

Huntington, IN

Huntington University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Indiana list. Located in the distant town of Huntington, Huntington is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Huntington take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at Huntington 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
Illinois 21,938
Ohio 13,973
Michigan 7,345
Wisconsin 5,410

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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