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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

44 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in Illinois to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named Rasmussen University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 92% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $175.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois Report

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Chicago, Malcolm X College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Malcolm X College take out $18,740 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means William Rainey Harper College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Harper College is a large public school located in the suburb of Palatine.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

Nursing majors at Harper College take out an average of $19,644 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#4

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Waubonsee Community College is a great place 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.

Of the 113 students majoring in nursing at Waubonsee, 19% are male and 81% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Waubonsee take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,386.

Full Nursing at Waubonsee Community College Report

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Lincoln Land Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Springfield, LLCC is a public college with a small student population.

Of the 102 students majoring in nursing at LLCC, 8% are male and 92% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from LLCC carry an average student debt load of $22,153.

Full Nursing at Lincoln Land Community College Report

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#6

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL

With a ranking of #6, College of DuPage did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. COD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn.

Of the 101 students majoring in nursing at COD, 17% are male and 83% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at COD accumulate an average of around $17,988 in student debt.

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#7

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL

Joliet Junior College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Joliet Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Joliet.

Of the 97 students majoring in nursing at Joliet Junior College, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Nursing majors at Joliet Junior College take out an average of $20,094 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Joliet Junior College Report

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#8

Parkland College

Champaign, IL

Parkland College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Parkland College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Champaign.

Of the 93 students majoring in nursing at Parkland College, 13% are male and 87% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Parkland College carry an average student debt load of $10,582.

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#8

Lake Land College

Mattoon, IL

With a ranking of #8, Lake Land College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Lake Land College is a small public school located in the town of Mattoon.

Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Lake Land College accumulate an average of around $13,552 in student debt.

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Elgin Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. ECC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Elgin.

About 78% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 22% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ECC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,362.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 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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