Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois

27 Colleges
$71,879 Avg Salary
$21,916 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 6,634 degrees and certificates from an Illinois school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science the best school in Illinois for nursing students. RFUMS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of North Chicago.

Read full report on Nursing at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Chamberlain University - Illinois is a great place for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Illinois Report

#3

Rush University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 27 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rush University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Anthony College of Nursing. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Illinois list. SACN is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Anthony College of Nursing

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of St Francis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Nursing at University of St Francis Report

#6

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.

Read full report on Nursing at Bradley University

Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read More…

#8

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read More…

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Illinois list. St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Nursing at Loyola University Chicago

Best Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,113
Ohio 2,563
Indiana 1,819
Wisconsin 972

One of 29 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Medicine 28,629
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 24,774
Public Health 19,473
Health & Medical Administrative Services 17,335
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 16,952

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.