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2024 Best Registered Nursing Schools in Illinois

75 Colleges in Illinois
15,995 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in registered nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 75 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Registered Nursing Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 15,995 degrees in registered nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School

Best Registered Nursing Schools in Illinois The registered nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Registered Nursing rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for registered 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.

Pick Your Registered Nursing Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Registered Nursing Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Registered Nursing in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of registered nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Illinois Schools in Registered Nursing

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
418 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Loyola University Chicago is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in registered nursing. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 418 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Loyola University Chicago

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
253 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Oak Point University if you wish to pursue a degree in registered nursing. Located in the suburb of Oak Brook, Oak Point is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 253 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Oak Point in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Oak Point University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
8,789 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Chamberlain University - Illinois if you want to pursue a degree in registered nursing. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

There were about 8789 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Chamberlain - Illinois in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Chamberlain University - Illinois

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
296 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in registered nursing needs to look into University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 296 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
721 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #277 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rasmussen University - Illinois is a great university overall.

There were about 721 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Illinois in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Rasmussen University - Illinois

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In IL
79 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Peoria. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 79 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Bradley University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
29th Most Popular In IL
64 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, SACN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were about 64 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at SACN in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Saint Anthony College of Nursing

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
235 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 235 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Illinois State University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In IL
157 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Joliet. A Best Colleges rank of #432 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Saint Francis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 157 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Saint Francis in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from University of St Francis

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
479 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 479 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL
199 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 199 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from DePaul University


 

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Registered Nursing students in the state of Illinois that almost earned our Best Registered Nursing Schools in Illinois award.

RankCollegeLocation
12Lewis UniversityRomeoville, IL
13Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL
14Methodist CollegePeoria, IL
15North Park UniversityChicago, IL
16Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL
17Millikin UniversityDecatur, IL
18William Rainey Harper CollegePalatine, IL

Best Registered Nursing Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Ohio93911,765
Michigan9156,357
Indiana7375,381
Wisconsin6724,688

View All Rankings >

One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing2,683
Nursing Practice1,104
Nursing Science462
Nursing Administration190
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing83
Nurse Anesthetist49
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing33
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing31
Critical Care Nursing15
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing11

View All Registered Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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