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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

38 Colleges
$8,670 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree 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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Lincoln Land Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Illinois. Located in the city of Springfield, LLCC is a public school with a small student population.

LLCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,840 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at LLCC take out an average of $22,153 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Lincoln Land Community College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elgin Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. ECC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Elgin.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECC are $7,140 per year. Nursing majors at ECC take out an average of $15,362 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECC also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Nursing at Elgin Community College Report

#3

John A Logan College

Carterville, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend John A Logan College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small suburb of Carterville, John A Logan College is a public school with a small student population.

John A Logan College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,960 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from John A Logan College carry an average student debtload of $14,016.

Full Nursing at John A Logan College Report

#3

Rend Lake College

Ina, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Rend Lake College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Ina, Rend Lake College is a public college with a small student population.

Rend Lake College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Rend Lake College carry an average student debtload of $12,957.

Full Nursing at Rend Lake College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Highland Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Highland Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Freeport.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Highland Community College are $6,846 a year. Nursing majors at Highland Community College take out an average of $19,818 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Highland Community College Report

Southwestern Illinois College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. SWIC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Belleville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SWIC are $6,390 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at SWIC accumulate an average of around $16,832 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Southwestern Illinois College Report

#7

Lake Land College

Mattoon, IL

Lake Land College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Lake Land College is a small public school located in the distant town of Mattoon.

Lake Land College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,104 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Lake Land College carry an average student debtload of $13,552.

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William Rainey Harper College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Harper College is a large public school located in the suburb of Palatine.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harper College are $9,870 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Harper College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,644.

Harper College also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois rankings.

Read More…

#9

Oakton Community College

Des Plaines, IL

Oakton Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Des Plaines, Oakton Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Oakton Community College are $10,446 a year. Nursing majors at Oakton Community College take out an average of $11,885 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Oakton Community College also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.

Full Nursing at Oakton Community College Report

#10

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL

With a ranking of #10, Waubonsee Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Waubonsee undergraduate students pay an average of $9,271 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Waubonsee carry an average student debtload of $17,386.

Read More…

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value 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 26 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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