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2024 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri

42 Colleges in Missouri
6,569 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$67,432 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #3 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 42 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Schools in Missouri ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,569 degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Missouri The nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Nursing rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for nursing schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Nursing Rankings by Degree Level

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

The 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 the Best Nursing Schools in Missouri. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Nursing in Missouri

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the nursing degree levels they offer.

10 Top Missouri Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,386 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$93,113 Median Starting Salary

Maryville University of Saint Louis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Maryville U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Maryville U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1386 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Maryville U in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Maryville University of Saint Louis make $25,681 more than the average nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Maryville University of Saint Louis

2
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$71,252 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in nursing has to take a look at Saint Louis University. Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #244 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 298 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Saint Louis University receive an earnings boost of about $3,820 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Saint Louis University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
402 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$76,635 Median Starting Salary

Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Goldfarb School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Saint Louis.

There were roughly 402 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Goldfarb School of Nursing in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College make $9,203 more than the typical nursing student.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
347 Nursing Degrees Awarded
17.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 347 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at University of Missouri - Columbia earn $9,710 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
275 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$95,648 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #480 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMKC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 275 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMKC in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from University of Missouri - Kansas City get an earnings boost of approximately $28,216 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Missouri - Kansas City

6
Webster crest
Webster University
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$151,455 Median Starting Salary

Webster is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #219 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Webster is a great university overall.

There were roughly 119 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Webster in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Webster University get an earnings boost of around $84,023 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from Webster University

7
Rockhurst crest
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
318 Nursing Degrees Awarded
3.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Kansas City, Rockhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #374 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rockhurst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 318 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rockhurst in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, nursing degree recipients generally make about $59,845 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Rockhurst University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
199 Nursing Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

Missouri State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 199 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Missouri State University - Springfield receive an earnings boost of approximately $45,434 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Missouri State University - Springfield

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
254 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$71,882 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #405 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMSL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 254 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMSL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at University of Missouri - St Louis earn $4,450 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Missouri - St Louis

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Nursing Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Research College of Nursing is a small private for-profit college located in the city of Kansas City.

There were approximately 213 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Research College of Nursing in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Research College of Nursing receive $11,531 more than the average nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Research College of Nursing


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota28414,831
Kansas2662,599
Iowa2642,901
Nebraska2381,885
North Dakota210975
South Dakota2041,013

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Registered Nursing4,185
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing580
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing559
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing400
Nursing Practice309
Critical Care Nursing147
School Nursing113
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing99
Nurse Anesthetist89
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing42

View All Nursing Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Allied Health Professions1,313
Medicine1,205
Health & Medical Administrative Services1,165
Health Sciences & Services1,027
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants963
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions938
Public Health791
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services726
Communication Sciences586
Dental Support Services458

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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