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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri

54 Colleges
$67,538 Avg Salary
$28,500 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Missouri with 6,840 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 54 schools in Missouri 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.

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Missouri.

Our 2023 rankings named Maryville University of Saint Louis the most popular school in Missouri for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Nursing majors at Maryville U take out an average of $31,009 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $416, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Maryville University of Saint Louis

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Saint Louis, Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Goldfarb School of Nursing take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $350.

Full Nursing at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri list. UMKC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Kansas City.

Nursing majors at UMKC take out an average of $30,817 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $251, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#4

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

Out of the 54 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Louis University landed the # 4 spot on the list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Louis.

Nursing majors at SLU take out an average of $26,192 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 $493.

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#5

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rockhurst University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Rockhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rockhurst take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $275.

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With a ranking of #6, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mizzou take out is $24,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $425.

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#7

Cox College

Springfield, MO

Cox College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri list. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Cox College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Cox College take out $34,963 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Cox College Report

University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UMSL take out $26,894 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 $164.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Missouri - St Louis

Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the distant town of Fayette, CMU CGES is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from CMU CGES carry an average student debt load of $27,562.

Full Nursing at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Report

Southwest Baptist University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking. Southwest Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Bolivar.

On average, nursing graduates from Southwest Baptist University take out $30,245 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

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
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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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