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Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

31 Colleges
$14,376 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$68,703 Avg Salary

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana ranking. This report analyzed 31 schools in Indiana to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

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

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN
$4,637 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Ivy Tech Community College the best value school in Indiana for nursing students. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ivy Tech Community College are $4,637 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out is $17,979.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Ivy Tech Community College is ranked #4 for overall quality for nursing in Indiana.

Read full report on Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College

$7,734 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 31 schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Northwest landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Purdue Northwest undergraduate students pay an average of $7,734 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Purdue Northwest is ranked #3 for overall quality for nursing in Indiana.

Read More…

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN
$9,992 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana list. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Purdue are $9,992 a year. 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.

Purdue not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Nursing Schools in Indiana list.

Full Nursing at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

$7,827 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Indiana University - Southeast is a great value for nursing students. Indiana University - Southeast is a small public school located in the suburb of New Albany.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Indiana University - Southeast are $7,827 per year. Nursing majors at Indiana University - Southeast take out an average of $26,633 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#5

Ball State University

Muncie, IN
$10,290 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 31 schools in Indiana that were part of this year’s ranking, Ball State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ball State are $10,290 a year. 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.

Ball State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in Indiana list.

Read More…

$9,509 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Evansville, USI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USI are $9,509 a year. 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.

Full Nursing at University of Southern Indiana Report

$8,857 Average Tuition & Fees

Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana list. Located in the large city of Fort Wayne, PFW is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at PFW are $8,857 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at PFW accumulate an average of around $29,800 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Purdue University Fort Wayne

$20,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. 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 school with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and University of Saint Francis Cooperative Nursing Program are $20,064 a year. 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.

Full Nursing at Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing Report

$7,827 Average Tuition & Fees

Indiana University - South Bend ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Indiana list. Located in the city of South Bend, Indiana University - South Bend is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Indiana University - South Bend are $7,827 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Indiana University - South Bend accumulate an average of around $25,675 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Indiana University - South Bend Report

#10

Vincennes University

Vincennes, IN
$6,449 Average Tuition & Fees

Vincennes University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Vincennes University is a large public school located in the town of Vincennes.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Vincennes University are $6,449 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Vincennes University take out is $24,263.

Full Nursing at Vincennes University 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
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.

  • 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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