College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota

44 Colleges in Minnesota
14,890 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$74,232 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 44 schools in Minnesota to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 14,890 degrees in nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Nursing Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing
Master's Degrees in Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Nursing in Minnesota

The schools below may not offer all types of nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Minnesota Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$180,513 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Mayo Clinic School of Medicine if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester.

There were approximately 45 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine earn $106,280 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in nursing from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine

2
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4,027 Nursing Degrees Awarded
31.6% Growth in Graduates

Capella University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #145 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Capella University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 4027.0000000000005 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Capella University in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Capella University receive an earnings boost of around $17,737 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Capella University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
414 Nursing Degrees Awarded
20.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a good option for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 414 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $2,276 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
275 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$89,088 Median Starting Salary

Winona State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Winona State is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Winona. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Winona State is a great university overall.

There were about 275 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Winona State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,856 over the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Winona State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
403 Nursing Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #296 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means St. Scholastica is a great college overall.

There were approximately 402.99999999999994 nursing students who graduated with this degree at St. Scholastica in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $65,678.

More information about a degree in nursing from The College of Saint Scholastica

5
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5,207 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$94,776 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

There were approximately 5207 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Walden University in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Walden University earn a boost of around $20,543 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from Walden University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
789 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$62,297 Median Starting Salary

Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit university located in the city of St. Cloud. A Best Colleges rank of #336 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a great university overall.

There were approximately 789 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Minnesota in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $62,297 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in nursing from Rasmussen University - Minnesota

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
284 Nursing Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #351 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were approximately 284 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato receive $6,757 more than the typical nursing student.

More information about a degree in nursing from Minnesota State University - Mankato

8
CSB crest
College of Saint Benedict
Saint Joseph, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,506 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph, CSB is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #339 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CSB is a great college overall.

There were about 46 nursing students who graduated with this degree at CSB in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $65,506 for their early career.

More information about a degree in nursing from College of Saint Benedict

9
St. Kate's crest
St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
280 Nursing Degrees Awarded
5.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #395 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Kate's is a great university overall.

There were roughly 280 nursing students who graduated with this degree at St. Kate's in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from St Catherine University earn a boost of around $9,398 above the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from St Catherine University


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 283 6,440
Kansas 266 2,599
Iowa 264 2,901
Nebraska 238 1,885
North Dakota 210 975
South Dakota 204 1,013

View All Rankings >

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 12,882
Nursing Practice 775
Nursing Administration 743
Nursing Science 124
Nurse Anesthetist 89
Clinical Nurse Leader 87
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 37
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 36
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 28
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 19

View All Nursing Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mental & Social Health Services 2,666
Health & Medical Administrative Services 2,511
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 2,176
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 1,014
Public Health 964
Allied Health Professions 881
Dental Support Services 712
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 628
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 561
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 464

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options