by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 57,106 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,647 and $27,241 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,972 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,305 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 72 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular nursing programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree nursing students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate. Located in Addison, Illinois, this large private for-profit school handed out 565 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rush University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 199 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 72 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 134 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 #4 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 69 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 full report on Nursing at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Purdue University Global did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 56 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 55 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Bradley University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 44 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
Viterbo University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 43 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is a private not-for-profit institution located in North Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Case Western Reserve University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 33 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #15. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Michigan - Flint landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. UM Flint is a public institution located in Flint, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 33 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Marian University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking. Marian is a small school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 31 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison
Michigan State University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 23 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 23 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #22. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #24. This fairly large school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 19 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Marquette University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #25. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
