2026 Best Value Nurse Anesthetist Schools in Illinois
[Nurse Anesthetist](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/nurse-anesthetist/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for nurse anesthetist students.
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2026 Best Value Nurse Anesthetist Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the nurse anesthetist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Nurse Anesthetist Schools
Millikin University tops our 2026 list of the best value nurse anesthetist schools in Illinois. Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Decatur. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $26,792. Nurse Anesthetist graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, nurse anesthetist degree recipients from Millikin University generally make around $165,637. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Millikin University admits about 67% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in nurse anesthetist will find it at Bradley University, which ranked #2. Bradley University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $42,160. Typical student debt for nurse anesthetist graduates is $27,000. Early-career nurse anesthetist graduates make about $54,513. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Depaul University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in nurse anesthetist, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $45,405 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $25,310 to complete the nurse anesthetist program here. Nurse Anesthetist graduates of Depaul University earn a median of $55,226 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,310 median debt. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 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.
