2025 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 32 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of nursing. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,316 bachelor's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The nursing bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on nursing students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of nursing students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for nursing to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized nursing related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in Illinois
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing.
10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing
Loyola University Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the nursing major at Loyola University Chicago earn $3,841 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Loyola University Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago.
Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Illinois at Chicago make $2,017 more than the standard nursing grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago
Bradley University is a great choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $73,143 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Bradley University
Chamberlain University - Illinois is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the suburb of Addison.
Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Chamberlain University - Illinois receive an earnings boost of approximately $10,160 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Chamberlain University - Illinois
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $72,709 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Illinois State University
SXU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Bachelor's recipients from the nursing degree program at Saint Xavier University earn $5,257 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Saint Xavier University
Located in the large suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from University of St Francis earn a boost of approximately $2,783 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of St Francis
Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients usually earn about $71,161 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $67,670 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Olivet Nazarene University
Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Lewis University get an earnings boost of approximately $3,738 above the average income of nursing graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Lewis University
