2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 12,042 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 37 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 183 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students list, Illinois State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend Illinois State University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 485 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend SIUE.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #3 spot on the list. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
GSU also took the #24 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $12,077 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Addison, Illinois, this large private for-profit school handed out 7,888 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
Chamberlain - Illinois also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $25,598 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend Chamberlain University - Illinois.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 237 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Illinois at Chicago
Eastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 159 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
NIU also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend WIU.
Saint Anthony College of Nursing came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. SACN is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SACN, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Oak Point University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Oak Point University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 426 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Oak Point also took the #2 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Lakeview College of Nursing came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Lakeview College of Nursing is located in Danville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students list, Lakeview College of Nursing has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Chicago State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSU is $11,733 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Methodist College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 169 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $35,862 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend Methodist College.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
Aurora University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 184 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
St. John’s College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. St. John’s College is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences Nursing Report
North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
North Park also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Trinity Christian College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian College is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Trinity Christian also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $21,904 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend Trinity Christian College.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
McKendree University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. McKendree University is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 55 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,844 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend McKendree.
With a ranking of #21, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Benedictine University is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Benedictine U is $25,143 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Quincy, Illinois, and it awarded 91 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of St Francis landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 112 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend University of St Francis.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Lewis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 121 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
Lewis also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis University is $18,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree nursing students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Quincy University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Quincy, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Quincy U is $17,497 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
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