2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate
19
Ranked Colleges
705
Degrees Awarded
$29,600
Avg Cost*

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 7,992 people earned their degree in nursing practice, making the major the 105th most popular in the United States.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,262 nursing practice graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing practice. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality nursing practice programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the nursing practice program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Practice Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate”.
Top 19 Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #1 spot on the list. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 46 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 26,744 students enrolled at KU, 70 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,917. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. KU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Kansas]](/colleges/university-of-kansas/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing practice degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Of the 30,318 students enrolled at Iowa, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Iowa Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Creighton University landed the #3 spot on the list. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing practice degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
Creighton also made our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1.Our most recent data shows that 278 of the 8,770 students enrolled at Creighton were GI Bill® students, of which 185 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,575. On top of their other funding sources, 46 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Creighton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Creighton Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Louis University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate. Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree vets studying nursing practice list, SLU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Of the 12,229 students enrolled at Saint Louis University, 5 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $25,162. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Saint Louis University]](/colleges/saint-louis-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #5 spot on the list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing practice degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
Maryville U also made our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5.According to our most recent data, Maryville U supports 10,979 students, and 7 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,372. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Maryville U Veteran Student Life Report
University of Nebraska Medical Center came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. University of Nebraska Medical Center is a small school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 39 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
UNMC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Among the 3,699 students enrolled at UNMC, 72 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,242. To help with additional expenses, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. UMKC is a fairly large public school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 47 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
UMKC also made our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10.Among the 16,147 students enrolled at University of Missouri - Kansas City, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 full report on veteran student life at University of Missouri - Kansas City]](/colleges/university-of-missouri-kansas-city/student-life/veterans/)
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. Missouri State is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Missouri State also made our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8.Of the 23,505 students enrolled at Missouri State University - Springfield, 5 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,830. During this same period, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Missouri State University - Springfield does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
With a ranking of #9, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. UMSL is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMSL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Of the 13,874 students enrolled at UMSL, 314 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 228 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,355. To help with additional expenses, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing practice students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree vets studying nursing practice list, Nebraska Methodist College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 1,212 students enrolled at Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health, 52 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 37 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,811. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
With a ranking of #11, Augsburg University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. Augsburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 17 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
Augsburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 71 of the 3,346 students enrolled at Augsburg University were GI Bill® students, of which 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,851. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Augsburg University Veteran Student Life Report
Capella University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. Capella University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 171 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Capella University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 38,930 students enrolled at Capella University, 2,589 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,685 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,867. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, Washburn University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Washburn University also made our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #17.Our most recent data shows that 306 of the 5,880 students enrolled at Washburn University were GI Bill® students, of which 147 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,535. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Washburn University]](/colleges/washburn-university/student-life/veterans/)
Allen College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing practice students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Allen College, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 678 students enrolled at Allen College, 9 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,575. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Allen College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Allen College]](/colleges/allen-college/student-life/veterans/)
Pittsburg State University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. Pittsburg State University is a medium-sized school located in Pittsburg, Kansas that handed out 18 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree vets studying nursing practice list, Pitt State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Among the 6,398 students enrolled at Pittsburg State University, 204 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 123 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,125. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pittsburg State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Pittsburg State University Veteran Student Life Report
Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lamoni, Iowa. It awarded 2 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
Graceland Lamoni did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Of the 1,517 students enrolled at Graceland University - Lamoni, 17 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,416. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Graceland University - Lamoni]](/colleges/graceland-university-lamoni/student-life/veterans/)
Morningside College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s nursing practice degrees in 2020-2021.
Morningside not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.Of the 2,411 students enrolled at Morningside, 51 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,284. During this same period, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Morningside]](/colleges/morningside-college/student-life/veterans/)
Walden University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing practice degrees to 143 students in 2020-2021.
Walden University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list.According to our most recent data, Walden University supports 49,695 students, and 2,721 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,568 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,240. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Walden University]](/colleges/walden-university/student-life/veterans/)
St Catherine University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Nursing Practice for a Doctorate list. St. Kate’s is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree vets studying nursing practice list, St. Kate’s has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Nursing Practice Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 55 of the 4,277 students enrolled at St Catherine University were GI Bill® students, of which 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,157. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 St. Kate’s Veteran Student Life 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits