2026 Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Clinical Nurse Specialist programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for clinical nurse specialist students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Best Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Best Schools for Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Great Lakes Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall clinical nurse specialist education in the Great Lakes Region.

Top Schools in Clinical Nurse Specialist

1

Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

12 Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees Awarded

$89,364 Median Starting Salary

Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis tops our 2026 ranking of the best clinical nurse specialist schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Indianapolis. Roughly 54% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 12 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse specialist degree recipients from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis generally make around $89,364. Students borrow a median of $28,408 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in clinical nurse specialist from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

2

University Of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, MI

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees Awarded

$95,228 Median Starting Salary

University Of Detroit Mercy is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in clinical nurse specialist, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Detroit, University Of Detroit Mercy is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. About 67% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 14 clinical nurse specialist students who graduated with this degree at University Of Detroit Mercy in the most recent data year. Students who receive their clinical nurse specialist degree from University Of Detroit Mercy earn around $95,228 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $29,000. Read more about the clinical nurse specialist program at University Of Detroit Mercy

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 13 schools evaluated.

• 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.