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2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

29 Ranked Colleges
12,037 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 259,493 registered nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country.

Across Illinois, there were 16,636 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 12,037 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in registered nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent registered nursing programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the registered nursing program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Registered Nursing (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 485 degrees to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 237 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Registered Nursing Report

#3

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Governors State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend GSU is $10,872 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at GSU

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 159 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Northern Illinois University

#5

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Xavier University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 144 students in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SXU.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Saint Xavier University

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 183 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Illinois State

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,350 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read more about Registered Nursing at EIU

#8

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 184 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #9 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Aurora

#9

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Lewis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 121 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lewis University is $12,821 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Lewis University

#10

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

University of St Francis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Saint Francis has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $15,847 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at University of Saint Francis

#11

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Western Illinois University

#12

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Elmhurst University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Elmhurst

#13

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Bradley University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Bradley University

#14

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

McKendree University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 55 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

McKendree did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,184 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend McKendree.

Read more about Registered Nursing at McKendree

#15

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Millikin University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Millikin has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Millikin University

#16

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 50 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan University is $18,570 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University

#17

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Quincy U is $15,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Quincy University

#18

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Dominican University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 51 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also took the #17 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dominican U.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Dominican University

#19

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 152 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $15,806 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Registered Nursing Report

#20

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park University is $17,808 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Registered Nursing at North Park

#21

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $14,097 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Registered Nursing Report

#22

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago State University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,507 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSU.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full CSU Registered Nursing Report

#23

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Trinity Christian College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Trinity Christian is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

Trinity Christian also took the #20 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,611 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity Christian College.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%.

Full Trinity Christian Registered Nursing Report

#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chamberlain University - Illinois is a large school located in Addison, Illinois that handed out 7,888 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Chamberlain - Illinois has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chamberlain University - Illinois is $23,596 for illinois bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Registered Nursing at Chamberlain - Illinois

#25

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Benedictine University is a small school located in Lisle, Illinois that handed out 97 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Benedictine U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Benedictine U is $22,862 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Benedictine University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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