If you pursue a degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 77 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 21,995 degrees in nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Nursing Schools in Illinois.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The schools below may not offer all types of nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Rush University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
There were about 388 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rush University in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Rush University receive $16,035 more than the standard nursing student.
Loyola University Chicago is a good option for students interested in a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 588 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at Loyola University Chicago get $19,033 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
It's difficult to beat Oak Point University if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Oak Point is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Oak Brook.
There were about 458 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Oak Point in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $73,719.
Chamberlain University - Illinois is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the suburb of Addison.
There were about 12645 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Chamberlain - Illinois in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Chamberlain University - Illinois earn a boost of around $11,361 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
RFUMS is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of North Chicago.
There were approximately 36 nursing students who graduated with this degree at RFUMS in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science receive $124,957 more than the typical nursing student.
UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 519 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of Illinois at Chicago earn a boost of around $10,505 above the typical earnings of nursing majors.
Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 283 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $62,749 in the first couple years of their career.
Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit university located in the midsize city of Rockford. A Best Colleges rank of #277 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rasmussen University - Illinois is a great university overall.
There were roughly 450 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Illinois in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $62,297 for their early career.
SACN is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Rockford.
There were about 93 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SACN in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Saint Anthony College of Nursing make $10,534 more than the typical nursing grad.
Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were about 326 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Illinois State University earn a boost of about $8,813 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #432 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Saint Francis is a great university overall.
There were about 212 nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Saint Francis in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of St Francis get an earnings boost of approximately $26,535 above the typical income of nursing graduates.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
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Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
