by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a nursing degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 20 schools on the early-career earnings of their nursing graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose nursing graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, our #1 for nursing graduate salaries in Illinois. Set in the suburb of Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earn a median of about $146,336 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at Saint Anthony College Of Nursing, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Rockford, Saint Anthony College Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $122,485.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at University Of St Francis, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Joliet, University Of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of University Of St Francis earn a median of about $132,489 a year early in their careers.
Saint Francis Medical Center College Of Nursing produces some of the highest-paid graduates in nursing, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Peoria, Saint Francis Medical Center College Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $122,859.
Loyola University Chicago produces some of the highest-paid graduates in nursing, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $124,591.
Saint Xavier University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Chicago, Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Saint Xavier University typically earn about $118,978 annually.
Illinois State University placed #7 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Illinois State University make a median of around $120,079 per year.
Lewis University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Lewis University typically earn about $123,620 annually.
Northern Illinois University placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Northern Illinois University earn a median of about $113,538 a year early in their careers.
North Park University landed the #10 spot for nursing salaries this year. North Park University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $116,050.
Chamberlain College Of Nursing Illinois landed the #11 spot for nursing salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain College Of Nursing Illinois is a private for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Chamberlain College Of Nursing Illinois typically earn about $117,047 annually.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Olivet Nazarene University earn a median of about $118,047 a year early in their careers.
Mckendree University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Mckendree University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Mckendree University typically earn about $115,892 annually.
Benedictine University placed #14 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Benedictine University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lisle. Early-career nursing graduates from Benedictine University make a median of around $110,655 per year.
Bradley University placed #15 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. Nursing graduates of Bradley University earn a median of about $105,021 a year early in their careers.
Governors State University earned the #16 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of University Park, Governors State University is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Governors State University earn a median of about $109,637 a year early in their careers.
University Of Illinois At Chicago placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from University Of Illinois At Chicago make a median of around $117,459 per year.
Elmhurst College landed the #18 spot for nursing salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $99,646.
Rush University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Rush University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $91,957.
Depaul University earned the #20 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $88,366.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their nursing graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 20 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
