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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

41 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Our analysis found Chamberlain University - Illinois to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $28,313 in student debt. 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

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

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.

Read More…

#4

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Oak Point University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Oak Point is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chicago.

Women make up 85% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Oak Point accumulate an average of around $30,893 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $342, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Oak Point University

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from UIC take out $21,477 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $299, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

Illinois State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 217 students majoring in nursing at Illinois State, 17% are male and 83% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Illinois State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,394. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

Read More…

#7

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

Nursing majors at Aurora take out an average of $25,376 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $191, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $33,767 in student debt.

Read More…

#9

Methodist College

Peoria, IL

Methodist College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Methodist College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Methodist College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $43,228. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $288.

Full Nursing at Methodist College Report

#10

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL

Saint Xavier University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 136 students majoring in nursing at SXU, 17% are male and 83% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from SXU carry an average student debt load of $29,810. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $259, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Xavier University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges 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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