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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois

87 Colleges
$71,879 Avg Salary
$21,916 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 87 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular programs 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 Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named Chamberlain University - Illinois the most popular school in Illinois for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. 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

Out of the 87 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the # 2 spot on the list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $767, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SIUE take out is $23,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UIC take out $19,528 in student loans while working on their 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

#5

Oak Point University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 87 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Oak Point University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Oak Point is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chicago.

On average, nursing graduates from Oak Point take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree. 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

With a ranking of #6, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $35,539 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $161.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois Report

#7

Rush University

Chicago, IL

With a ranking of #7, Rush University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Rush University

Illinois State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Illinois State take out $22,562 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

Read full report on Nursing at Illinois State University

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

On average, nursing graduates from Bradley take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $580.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley University

#10

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Lewis take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $468, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#11

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

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Benedictine University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Lisle, Benedictine U is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Benedictine U take out $21,359 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Benedictine University Report

#13

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

With a ranking of #13, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $246, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Olivet Nazarene University Report

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of Illinois that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in Illinois award.

Rank College Location
14 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
15 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
16 Aurora University Aurora, IL
17 Methodist College Peoria, IL

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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