2026 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in Indiana
[Clinical Nurse Specialist](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/clinical-nurse-specialist/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for clinical nurse specialist students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in Indiana
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the clinical nurse specialist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools
Leading the list is Purdue University Northwest, our #1 best value for clinical nurse specialist in Indiana. Set in the suburb of Hammond, Purdue University Northwest is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,357, while out-of-state students pay about $15,504. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates carry a median of $24,552 in student loans. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $93,180. Set against $24,552 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Purdue University Northwest admits about 72% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis one of the best values for clinical nurse specialist. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,762, with out-of-state students paying around $34,891. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates carry a median of $28,408 in student loans. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse specialist degree recipients from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis generally make around $89,364. That is a strong return on a $28,408 median debt. The acceptance rate is 76%.
Students looking for strong value in clinical nurse specialist will find it at University Of Southern Indiana, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Evansville, University Of Southern Indiana is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,066 in tuition and fees, compared with $22,907 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $25,089 to complete the clinical nurse specialist program here. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $91,255. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 96%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
