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Best Nursing Schools in Kansas

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kansas

31 Colleges
$67,165 Avg Salary
$28,256 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 Kansas. In total, 2,633 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Kansas.

Today's healthcare 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Schools in Kansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 31 schools in Kansas to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kansas

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

Ottawa University - Kansas City

Overland Park, KS

Our 2023 rankings named Ottawa University - Kansas City the best school in Kansas for nursing students. Located in the city of Overland Park, Ottawa University - Kansas City is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at Ottawa University - Kansas City take out an average of $26,768 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#2

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

The excellent programs at University of Kansas helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kansas. KU is a very large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from KU carry an average student debtload of $22,182.

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Out of the 31 schools in Kansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Kansas landed the # 3 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Kansas is a small private for-profit school located in the rural area of Topeka.

On average, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Kansas take out $35,539 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $161, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 31 schools in Kansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Fort Hays State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public school with a large student population.

Nursing majors at FHSU take out an average of $22,866 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#5

Newman University

Wichita, KS

The excellent programs at Newman University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kansas. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Wichita.

On average, nursing graduates from Newman University take out $25,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#6

Washburn University

Topeka, KS

With a ranking of #6, Washburn University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Washburn University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Topeka.

Nursing majors at Washburn University take out an average of $26,142 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $187.

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With a ranking of #7, MidAmerica Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. MNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Olathe.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at MNU accumulate an average of around $27,125 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $429, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at MidAmerica Nazarene University

#8

Baker University

Baldwin City, KS

With a ranking of #8, Baker University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the town of Baldwin City, Baker is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Baker take out is $27,750.

Read full report on Nursing at Baker University

#9

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Pitt State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Pittsburg.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Pitt State carry an average student debtload of $24,546.

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#10

University of Saint Mary

Leavenworth, KS

University of Saint Mary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Leavenworth, University of St. Mary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at University of St. Mary take out an average of $30,899 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at University of Saint Mary Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

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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