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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota

50 Colleges
$74,232 Avg Salary
$31,893 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Minnesota. In total, 14,890 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Minnesota.

With all the healthcare programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. This report analyzed 50 schools in Minnesota 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.

#2

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Out of the 50 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

Nursing majors at Capella University take out an average of $27,599 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Capella University Report

The excellent programs at Rasmussen University - Minnesota helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Minnesota. Located in the small city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota accumulate an average of around $35,539 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $161.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Saint Paul. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Concordia University, Saint Paul take out an average of $38,033 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

Out of the 50 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $202.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

With a ranking of #6, The College of Saint Scholastica did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from St. Scholastica take out $30,417 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $314, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at The College of Saint Scholastica

With a ranking of #7, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $26,957 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

#8

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, MN

St Catherine University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at St. Kate's accumulate an average of around $40,182 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $349.

Read full report on Nursing at St Catherine University

With a ranking of #9, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Winona State accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $190, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#10

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN

Metropolitan State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Minnesota list. Metro State is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Saint Paul.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Metro State carry an average student debt load of $34,797.

Read full report on Nursing at Metropolitan State University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

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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