2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Leader Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Clinical Nurse Leader](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/clinical-nurse-leader/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for clinical nurse leader students.
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2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Leader Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the clinical nurse leader degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Clinical Nurse Leader Schools
For return on investment in clinical nurse leader, no school beat Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies this year. Set in the rural area of Fayette, Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $7,500. Typical student debt for clinical nurse leader graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse leader degree recipients from Central Methodist University College Of Graduate And Extended Studies generally make around $84,487. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 88%.
A rank of #2 makes Capella University one of the best values for clinical nurse leader. Set in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a very large private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $14,400. Students borrow a median of $27,826 to complete the clinical nurse leader program here. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse leader degree recipients from Capella University generally make around $107,183. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at South Dakota State University earned it the #3 place for clinical nurse leader. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,299, while out-of-state students pay about $12,809. Clinical Nurse Leader graduates carry a median of $28,000 in student loans. Early-career clinical nurse leader graduates make about $51,260. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. South Dakota State University admits about 98% of applicants.
University Of Iowa is a great value for students pursuing a degree in clinical nurse leader, landing the #4 spot this year. University Of Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,283, with out-of-state students paying around $33,371. Clinical Nurse Leader graduates carry a median of $24,811 in student loans. Early-career clinical nurse leader graduates make about $96,368. Set against $24,811 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 84%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Morningside College earned it the #5 place for clinical nurse leader. Morningside College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $39,519. Students borrow a median of $28,000 to complete the clinical nurse leader program here. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse leader degree recipients from Morningside College generally make around $84,126. Set against $28,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Morningside College admits about 71% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
