2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Critical Care Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/critical-care-nursing/) 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 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for critical care nursing students.
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2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in the The Plains States Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in critical care nursing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools
Our analysis ranked Winona State University the best value for a degree in critical care nursing in the The Plains States Region. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $10,576 in tuition and fees, compared with $17,308 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for critical care nursing graduates is $26,252. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $101,220. Set against $26,252 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Winona State University admits about 76% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Maryville University Of Saint Louis earned it the #2 place for critical care nursing. Maryville University Of Saint Louis is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $27,166. Typical student debt for critical care nursing graduates is $29,881. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from Maryville University Of Saint Louis generally make around $103,656. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 95%.
Students looking for strong value in critical care nursing will find it at Saint Louis University Main Campus, which ranked #3. Saint Louis University Main Campus is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Louis. Students from in state pay about $55,760 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for critical care nursing graduates is $25,000. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from Saint Louis University Main Campus generally make around $65,599. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 75%.
Students looking for strong value in critical care nursing will find it at Creighton University, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $48,856 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from Creighton University generally make around $96,152. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 80%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
