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2024 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

103 Colleges in the Plains States Region
15,577 Bachelor's Degrees
$60,970 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #2 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 103 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 15,577 bachelor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of nursing for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in the Plains States Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

15 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing

1
308 Annual Graduates
$64,954 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Creighton University is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Creighton University get an earnings boost of around $3,984 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

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

2
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
3,199 Annual Graduates
$74,251 Median Starting Salary
$27,826 Median Student Debt

Capella University is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. Capella University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from Capella University receive $13,281 more than the average nursing student.

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

3
392 Annual Graduates
$62,469 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of Nebraska Medical Center if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Omaha, UNMC is a public university with a small student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $62,469 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Nebraska Medical Center

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
215 Annual Graduates
$59,083 Median Starting Salary
$24,811 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in nursing needs to take a look at University of Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $59,083.

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

5
174 Annual Graduates
$64,283 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $3,313 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

6
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
204 Annual Graduates
$56,568 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients generally earn around $56,568 at the beginning of their careers.

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

7
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
199 Annual Graduates
$59,262 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $59,262 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Saint Louis University

8
230 Annual Graduates
$64,934 Median Starting Salary
$26,252 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Winona State University get an earnings boost of approximately $3,964 over the average income of nursing graduates.

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

9
365 Annual Graduates
$56,147 Median Starting Salary
$27,750 Median Student Debt

Goldfarb School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Saint Louis.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $56,147.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

10
221 Annual Graduates
$60,951 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $60,951.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Missouri - Columbia

11
143 Annual Graduates
$61,752 Median Starting Salary
$25,792 Median Student Debt

UND is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Grand Forks.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $61,752 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of North Dakota

12
Allen College crest
Allen College
Waterloo, IA
129 Annual Graduates
$56,855 Median Starting Salary
$31,000 Median Student Debt

Allen College is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Waterloo.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $56,855 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Allen College

13
138 Annual Graduates
$62,989 Median Starting Salary
$35,362 Median Student Debt

Nebraska Methodist College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Omaha.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health receive $2,019 more than the typical nursing student.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health

14
315 Annual Graduates
$58,372 Median Starting Salary
$28,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $58,372.

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

15
358 Annual Graduates
$65,678 Median Starting Salary
$31,000 Median Student Debt

St. Scholastica is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Duluth.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from The College of Saint Scholastica earn a boost of about $4,708 over the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from The College of Saint Scholastica


 

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
16 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
17 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
17 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
18 Clarkson College Omaha, NE
19 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
20 Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO
21 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
22 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN
23 Mount Marty University Yankton, SD
24 University of Mary Bismarck, ND
25 Webster University Saint Louis, MO

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 3,224
Minnesota 215 6,914
Iowa 197 1,352
Kansas 184 1,454
Nebraska 180 1,229
North Dakota 149 589
South Dakota 148 814

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 14,395
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 627
Nursing Practice 464
Nursing Administration 87
Nursing Science 4

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 1,493
Health Sciences & Services 1,355
Allied Health Professions 920
Communication Sciences 884
Public Health 632
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 356
Dental Support Services 303
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 298
Mental & Social Health Services 228
Other Health Professions 197

Notes and References

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