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2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in Illinois

19 Ranked Colleges
1,166 Degrees Awarded
$141,442 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate” ranking.

With 322,592 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 21,995 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,879 and $21,916 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,166 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $81,698 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular nursing programs in the United States.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate”.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Addison, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 565 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois

2
Rush University crest
Rush University
Chicago, Illinois

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 Illinois for a Doctorate. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 199 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Nursing at Rush University

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 134 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Nursing at UIC

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Nursing at SIUE

5
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Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Out of the 19 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley

6

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. RFUMS is located in North Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full DePaul Nursing Report

8
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 22 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Loyola Chicago Nursing Report

9
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Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Nursing at Millikin University

10
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McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at McKendree University

11
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Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #11. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 6 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Lewis University Nursing Report

11
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University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at University of Saint Francis

11

Saint Anthony College of Nursing ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. SACN is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Saint Anthony College of Nursing

14

Illinois State University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 5 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Illinois State University

14

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Nursing at St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

16

Northern Illinois University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Nursing at NIU

16
Oak Point crest
Oak Point University
Chicago, Illinois

Oak Point University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

Full Oak Point Nursing Report

18
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Nursing at North Park

19
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Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #19. Governors State University is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 1 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Nursing at GSU

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