by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 322,592 nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 316 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. To top this list, a school must have a successful nursing program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region 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. Chamberlain University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Addison, Illinois. It awarded 12,645 ’s nursing degrees 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%.
Out of the 316 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 2,209 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Out of the 316 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ivy Tech Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 1,366 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,207 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 316 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 1,222 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #6, Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IWU is a fairly large school located in Marion, Indiana that handed out 816 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 ranking of #7, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 738 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Nursing Report
Kent State University at Kent landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 692 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Kent State University at Kent
With a ranking of #9, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Hammond, Indiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 633 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 669 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 588 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 527 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 526 students in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Nursing Report
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 519 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Oakland University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oakland is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 509 ’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%.
Oak Point University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oak Point is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 458 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
With a ranking of #17, Xavier University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Xavier is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 460 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Rasmussen University - Illinois ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 450 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Spring Arbor University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Spring Arbor University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 448 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Mount Carmel College of Nursing did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Mount Carmel College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 452 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 - Flint came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Michigan - Flint is a medium-sized public school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 455 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Toledo landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is located in Toledo, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 431 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #23, Marian University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 387 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Marquette University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 405 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Rush University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 388 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 48 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
