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2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

17 Ranked Colleges
5,125 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 313,362 nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 5,125 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 17 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the nursing program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree nursing students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 17 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Nursing (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 103 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Nursing Master’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 UIC are $27,036.

Read more about Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago

#3

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of St Francis. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Saint Francis are $13,839, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Nursing at University of St Francis

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Governors State University is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 27 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GSU are $14,674, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Nursing at GSU

#5

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Xavier University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Saint Xavier University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 masters’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Xavier University are $15,450, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SXU Nursing Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 31 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full NIU Nursing Report

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s nursing degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.

Read full report on Nursing at Illinois State University

#8

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 102 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Nursing Master’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.

Read more about Nursing at Lewis University

#9

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 96 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Olivet Nazarene are $13,393, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Olivet Nazarene Nursing Report

#10

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 105 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Nursing Master’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 Bradley University are $17,040.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley

#11

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 52 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Park University are $14,076, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Nursing at North Park University

#12

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 47 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree nursing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Elmhurst are $32,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at Elmhurst University

#13

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. McKendree University is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree also took the #19 spot in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at McKendree University are $9,324, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at McKendree

Chamberlain University - Illinois came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Addison, Illinois, and it awarded 3,640 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree nursing students whose families make $30-$48k list, Chamberlain - Illinois has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Nursing Master’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 Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090.

Read more about Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

#15

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 166 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Benedictine U also took the #16 spot in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Benedictine University are $19,709, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at Benedictine University

#16

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Nursing at Loyola Chicago

#17

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 207 masters’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Nursing Master’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 DePaul University are $19,760.

Read full report on Nursing at DePaul University

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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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