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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

70 Colleges
$67,647 Avg Salary
$27,241 Avg Student Debt

In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 70 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular online programs for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing an online .

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in the Great Lakes Region . Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.

On average, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Illinois take out $38,460 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Purdue University Northwest. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Purdue Northwest take out is $25,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $152.

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#3

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.

On average, nursing graduates from Purdue University Global take out $39,595 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $157, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Purdue University Global

The excellent online programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $767, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Loyola University Chicago

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Michigan - Flint. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UM Flint is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Flint.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UM Flint carry an average student debtload of $40,680.

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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.

On average, nursing graduates from UW Oshkosh take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $177, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#7

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH

Cleveland State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Cleveland State University is a large public school located in the large city of Cleveland.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Cleveland State University take out is $29,152. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $209.

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University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UWM carry an average student debtload of $27,902. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $182.

Full Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UW - Madison take out is $24,104.

Full Nursing at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#10

Davenport University

Grand Rapids, MI

Davenport University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Davenport University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Grand Rapids.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Davenport University carry an average student debtload of $44,065. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $192.

Full Nursing at Davenport University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
12 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
13 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
14 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI

Explore the most popular online nursing colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 21,938
Ohio 13,973
Michigan 7,345
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

More Nursing Rankings in the Great Lakes Region

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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