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Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

38 Colleges
$22,684 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,238 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 38 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Governors State University the best value school in Illinois for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $26,674.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SIUE take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,837. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $21,394 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $12,297 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at EIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,213.

Full Nursing at Eastern Illinois University Report

Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $20,250 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $37,103 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. On average, nursing graduates from WIU take out $26,071 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UIC carry an average student debtload of $21,477. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $299, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago

With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. On average, nursing graduates from NIU take out $33,767 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Northern Illinois University

Chicago State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. CSU is a small public school located in the city of Chicago.

CSU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Lakeview College of Nursing ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Lakeview College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Danville.

Lakeview College of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $18,550 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Lakeview College of Nursing take out an average of $29,257 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $190.

Full Nursing at Lakeview College of Nursing Report

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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