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2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
971 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 313,362 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $67,065 and had an average of $26,282 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 21,261 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,215 and $24,483 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 971 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great nursing programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the nursing program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 67 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 125 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Nursing Report

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 2 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at GSU are $14,674.

Read full report on Nursing at Governors State University

#4

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lewis University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Lewis University are $14,780.

Full Lewis Nursing Report

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Nursing at Illinois State

#6

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bradley University are $17,040, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Nursing at Bradley University

#7

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Saint Francis has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Saint Francis are $13,839, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at University of St Francis

#8

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Millikin University are $23,733.

Read full report on Nursing at Millikin

#9

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

McKendree University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. McKendree is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. Average graduate tuition and fees at McKendree are $9,324, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full McKendree Nursing Report

Chamberlain University - Illinois ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a large school located in Addison, Illinois that handed out 365 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chamberlain - Illinois, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 31 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full DePaul University Nursing Report

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Loyola Chicago Nursing Report

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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