2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 222 schools in the Plains States Region 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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Most Popular Plains States Region Schools in Nursing
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Capella University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Capella University take out $27,599 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Maryville University of Saint Louis helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Plains States Region . Maryville U is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
On average, nursing graduates from Maryville U take out $31,009 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is 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 Rasmussen University - Minnesota. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out an average of $35,539 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $161, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Nebraska Medical Center is a great place for nursing students. UNMC is a small public school located in the large city of Omaha.
On average, nursing graduates from UNMC take out $23,737 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $236.
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Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Concordia University, Saint Paul take out $38,033 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at UMN Twin Cities take out an average of $22,250 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $202.
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Creighton University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Omaha.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Creighton accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $483, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Goldfarb School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Goldfarb School of Nursing take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $350.
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The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St. Scholastica take out is $30,417. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $314, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #11, Butler Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Butler CC is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of El Dorado.
Nursing majors at Butler CC take out an average of $26,808 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UMKC take out $30,817 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $251, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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South Dakota State University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South Dakota State carry an average student debt load of $28,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $162.
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Saint Louis University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from SLU take out $26,192 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $493.
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With a ranking of #15, Mercy College of Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences take out is $30,295. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $330.
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Rockhurst University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the large city of Kansas City, Rockhurst is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rockhurst carry an average student debt load of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $275.
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University of Kansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at KU accumulate an average of around $22,182 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Iowa did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Iowa carry an average student debt load of $24,687. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $221, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debt load of $24,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $425, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
Nursing majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out an average of $26,957 in student loans while working on their egree.
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St Catherine University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region list. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Nursing majors at St. Kate's take out an average of $40,182 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $349, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Winona State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #22 on the list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
Nursing majors at Winona State take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $190, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lamoni.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Graceland Lamoni accumulate an average of around $28,584 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #24, Cox College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Cox College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Cox College take out is $34,963.
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University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. UMSL is a large public school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UMSL take out is $26,894. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $164.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Research College of Nursing | Kansas City, MO |
| 35 | Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 36 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 37 | Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health | Omaha, NE |
| 38 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 39 | Rasmussen University - Kansas | Topeka, KS |
| 40 | University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, MO |
| 40 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 42 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS |
| 43 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 44 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 44 | Pittsburg State University | Pittsburg, KS |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
Nursing Related Majors
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Majors Similar to Nursing
| 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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