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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Registered Nursing (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

102 Ranked Colleges
12,924 Degrees Awarded
$10,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Registered Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 259,493 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across the Plains States region, there were 24,654 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 12,924 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 102 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in registered nursing. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality registered nursing programs that also have a lower cost than 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

The registered 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 “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region 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 the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 130 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#2

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Truman State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Truman State University is a small school located in Kirksville, Missouri that handed out 50 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Truman State University is $7,564 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Truman State University

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,054 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Iowa State

#4

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 102 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Olaf College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Olaf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $12,459 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at St. Olaf

#5

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of Saint Mary. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Saint Mary is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,944 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Mary.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 College of Saint Mary Registered Nursing Report

#6

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

Minot State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Minot, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend MSU is $8,923 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full MSU Registered Nursing Report

#7

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#9 in overall quality

Winona State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Winona State is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 248 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Winona State is $12,381 for Plains States Region 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 Winona State

#17 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 215 students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou also took the #17 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Columbia is $10,940 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Registered Nursing at University of Missouri - Columbia

#14 in overall quality

North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 202 students in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $11,524 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at North Dakota State University

#21 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 229 degrees to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Minnesota State Mankato has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State Mankato is $11,057 for plains states region 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 more about Registered Nursing at Minnesota State Mankato

#11

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 99 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Saint Cloud State University is $10,688 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full St. Cloud State University Registered Nursing Report

#12

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

With a ranking of #12, Bemidji State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bemidji State University is located in Bemidji, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 150 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Bemidji State University is $10,632 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Bemidji State University

#13

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, North Dakota

With a ranking of #13, Dickinson State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Dickinson, North Dakota, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson State University is $8,402 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Dickinson State University

#14

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#16 in overall quality

University of North Dakota came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

UND also took the #16 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UND is $11,092 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at UND

#15

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota

Mayville State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Mayville State University is a small public school situated in Mayville, North Dakota. It awarded 46 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Mayville State University is $7,679 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Mayville State University

Fort Hays State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hays, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fort Hays State University is $9,464 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full FHSU Registered Nursing Report

#17

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Missouri - St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 197 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - St Louis is $7,401 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at UMSL

Missouri Southern State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Missouri Southern State University is a public institution located in Joplin, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern is $7,882 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Missouri Southern State University

Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Southwest Minnesota State University is located in Marshall, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,801 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southwest Minnesota State University.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University

#20

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Missouri Western is a small school located in Saint Joseph, Missouri that handed out 99 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,762 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri Western State University.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Missouri Western

#21

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#20 in overall quality

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 214 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $12,975 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Iowa

#22

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pittsburg State University is a medium-sized school located in Pittsburg, Kansas that handed out 120 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,638 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitt State.

Full Pittsburg State University Registered Nursing Report

#23

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, Missouri
#24 in overall quality

Rockhurst University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 269 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Rockhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rockhurst University is $14,869 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at Rockhurst

#24

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

With a ranking of #24, University of Central Missouri did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCM is $10,608 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at University of Central Missouri

#25

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Southeast Missouri State University is $9,092 for plains states region bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southeast Missouri State University Registered Nursing Report

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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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