by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Plains States Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 the Plains States region, there were 31,555 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,790 and $29,947 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 220 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in nursing.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region nursing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Walden University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Walden University is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 5,207 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Out of the 220 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school handed out 4,027 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maryville University of Saint Louis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Maryville University of Saint Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1,452 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Out of the 220 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Minnesota landed the #4 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school situated in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 789 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University - Minnesota
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska Medical Center. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. UNMC is a small public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 502 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Concordia University, Saint Paul landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 415 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 414 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Creighton University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 412 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #9, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Goldfarb School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 405 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
The College of Saint Scholastica did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 403 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
South Dakota State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. South Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 342 ’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%.
University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. UMKC is a public institution located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 351 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about Nursing at University of Missouri - Kansas City
Mercy College of Health Sciences came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Mercy College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 323 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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 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 full report on Nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences
Saint Louis University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 324 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Rockhurst University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 306 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Kansas ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Kansas is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 297 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 285 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Missouri - Columbia
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 284 ’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%.
Read more about Nursing at Minnesota State University - Mankato
St Catherine University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 280 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 288 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Cox College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Cox College is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 269 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Winona State University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. Winona State is located in Winona, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 275 ’s nursing degrees to qualified 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%.
Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Graceland Lamoni is a small school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 272 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 254 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Nursing at University of Missouri - St Louis
With a ranking of #24, Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Plains States Region list. CMU CGES is a small school located in Fayette, Missouri that handed out 249 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
