2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 313,362 nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $67,065 and had an average of $26,282 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 29,923 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,148 and $28,004 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,534 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 33 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the nursing program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 111 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Marty University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Yankton, South Dakota, and it awarded 34 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Mount Marty did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mount Marty are $8,175, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k list, Mizzou has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Columbia are $27,193.
Read more about Nursing at University of Missouri - Columbia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - St Louis. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UMSL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 33 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMSL has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMSL are $30,154.
Out of the 33 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Winona State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 30 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Winona State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Winona State are $12,378, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of North Dakota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. University of North Dakota is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UND did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Dakota are $18,326.
Capella University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Capella University is a large private for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 173 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k list, Capella University has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Capella University are $14,767, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #8, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
UMKC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMKC are $26,699, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #9, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Minnesota State Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Minnesota State Mankato also took the #24 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Minnesota State University - Mankato are $8,788, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Mary landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UMary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bismarck, North Dakota. It awarded 30 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMary has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Mary are $17,861.
North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
North Dakota State University also took the #23 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University are $11,589, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Missouri State is a large public school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 73 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Missouri State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State are $12,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Nursing at Missouri State University - Springfield
St Catherine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. St Catherine University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
St. Kate’s also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at St Catherine University are $17,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
The College of Saint Scholastica landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The College of Saint Scholastica is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 67 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Scholastica not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at St. Scholastica are $15,502.
Read full report on Nursing at The College of Saint Scholastica
Fort Hays State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fort Hays State University is a public institution located in Hays, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at FHSU are $11,376, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Iowa came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree nursing students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Pittsburg State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pitt State is a public institution located in Pittsburg, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Pitt State are $19,320, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Kansas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. KU is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 72 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
KU also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Saint Louis University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
SLU also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Louis University are $22,074, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Wichita State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Metropolitan State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Metropolitan State University are $17,552.
Read full report on Nursing at Metropolitan State University
South Dakota State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 29 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
South Dakota State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State are $16,743, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #23, Washburn University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k 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 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Washburn University are $19,206, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Bryan College of Health Sciences ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bryan College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 15 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Bryan College of Health Sciences not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bryan College of Health Sciences are $24,823.
Augsburg University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Augsburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Augsburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Augsburg University are $13,165, but some majors have different tuition rates.
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Nursing students with family income $48-$75k in the Plains States Region
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Nursing students with family income $75-$110k in the Plains States Region
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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
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