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2024 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

35 Colleges in Illinois
12,329 Bachelor's Degrees
$62,620 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 35 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 12,329 bachelor's degrees in nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois The nursing bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing

1
496 Annual Graduates
$66,111 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Loyola University Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Loyola University Chicago receive an earnings boost of about $3,491 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Loyola University Chicago

2
Oak Point crest
Oak Point University
Oak Brook, IL
430 Annual Graduates
$64,110 Median Starting Salary
$30,750 Median Student Debt

Oak Point University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Oak Point is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Oak Brook.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $64,110 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Oak Point University

3
8,124 Annual Graduates
$70,883 Median Starting Salary
$39,146 Median Student Debt

Chamberlain University - Illinois is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the suburb of Addison.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Chamberlain University - Illinois receive an earnings boost of about $8,263 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Chamberlain University - Illinois

4
284 Annual Graduates
$65,021 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Chicago earn a boost of around $2,401 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago

5
115 Annual Graduates
$62,749 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $62,749 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Bradley University

6
217 Annual Graduates
$63,829 Median Starting Salary
$23,075 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients typically earn around $63,829 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Illinois State University

7
83 Annual Graduates
$62,718 Median Starting Salary
$22,500 Median Student Debt

SACN is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Rockford.

Soon after graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually make around $62,718 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Saint Anthony College of Nursing

8
123 Annual Graduates
$64,208 Median Starting Salary
$30,700 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $64,208.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of St Francis

9
434 Annual Graduates
$58,394 Median Starting Salary
$23,043 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients generally earn about $58,394 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

10
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL
129 Annual Graduates
$64,192 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $64,192 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Lewis University


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 3,948
Ohio 252 7,246
Indiana 235 4,455
Wisconsin 213 2,670

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 12,316
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 13

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 678
Public Health 607
Health Sciences & Services 487
Communication Sciences 363
Health/Medical Prep Programs 333
Allied Health Professions 219
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 150
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 148
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 107
Other Health Professions 60

Notes and References

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