Best Nursing Colleges in Illinois2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 39 accredited institutions offering Nursing programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, Methodist College is the most selective, admitting 31% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $30,863, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $32,408. Median early-career earnings for Nursing graduates in this state average $50,639 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 58%.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $75,629 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 2 | Millikin UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 54% | 59% | $7,953 | $71,848 | 10:1 | 45 | 1,458 |
| 3 | University of St FrancisPrivate | Great· 40 | 64% | 65% | $15,264 | $75,811 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,292 |
| 4 | Wheaton CollegePrivate | Great· 40 | 90% | 87% | $20,430 | $39,703 | 10:1 | 35 | 2,087 |
| 5 | Bradley UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 72% | $19,392 | $73,143 | 11:1 | 78 | 3,865 |
| 6 | Illinois CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 75% | 61% | $14,241 | $37,109 | 11:1 | 46 | 925 |
| 7 | Chicago State UniversityPublic | Strong· 37 | 41% | 17% | $12,729 | $63,869 | 10:1 | 29 | 1,414 |
| 8 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $70,530 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 9 | University of Illinois ChicagoPublic | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $75,045 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 |
| 10 | Quincy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 50% | 43% | $15,110 | $37,447 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,038 |
| 11 | Eastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $40,194 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 |
| 12 | Trinity Christian CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 89% | 64% | $11,213 | $76,446 | 10:1 | 45 | 796 |
| 13 | Western Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 75% | 45% | $11,608 | $74,490 | 14:1 | 71 | 4,939 |
| 14 | Northern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $75,557 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 |
| 15 | North Park UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 73% | 56% | $17,712 | $73,846 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,844 |
| 16 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $76,869 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 17 | Rockford UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 57% | 38% | $21,448 | $70,940 | 10:1 | 37 | 956 |
| 18 | Elmhurst UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 76% | 65% | $20,115 | $73,820 | 14:1 | 55 | 2,954 |
| 19 | Lewis UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 73% | 63% | $17,911 | $76,766 | 14:1 | 59 | 3,665 |
| 20 | DePaul UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 74% | 70% | $26,576 | $47,990 | 17:1 | 71 | 14,283 |
| 21 | Olivet Nazarene UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 67% | 60% | $19,653 | $67,670 | 14:1 | 61 | 2,485 |
| 22 | Methodist CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 31% | 75% | $26,280 | $67,809 | 8:1 | 6 | 374 |
| 23 | Southern Illinois University-EdwardsvillePublic | Good· 32 | 97% | 55% | $11,954 | $71,161 | 15:1 | 47 | 8,836 |
| 24 | Benedictine UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 77% | 51% | $23,587 | $80,136 | 13:1 | 52 | 1,817 |
| 25 | Saint Xavier UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 86% | 59% | $11,794 | $78,285 | 15:1 | 43 | 3,030 |
| 26 | Roosevelt UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 94% | 41% | $19,274 | $75,231 | 11:1 | 54 | 2,583 |
| 27 | Illinois State UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 89% | 66% | $16,424 | $72,709 | 19:1 | 66 | 18,414 |
| 28 | McKendree UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 64% | 60% | $21,276 | $73,156 | 16:1 | 44 | 1,600 |
| 29 | Concordia University-ChicagoPrivate | Good· 30 | 93% | 47% | $17,318 | $58,149 | 13:1 | 53 | 1,337 |
| 30 | Aurora UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 85% | 58% | $16,984 | $72,520 | 18:1 | 47 | 4,021 |