Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing programs in Illinois
50 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 37 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $65,711 at Ambria College of Nursing.
What this work pays in Illinois
Registered Nurses in Illinois earn a median of $95,990 a year across 138,910 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $117,850 | 22,460 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $130,680 | 9,270 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,150 | 4,940 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $286,830 | 1,140 |
| Nurse Midwives | $120,840 | 280 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambria College of Nursing Hoffman Estates | Associate's degree | $30,500 | $65,711 (50 grads) | 51 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Associate's degree | — | $63,600 (24 grads) | 22 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Associate's degree | — | $63,005 (41 grads) | 67 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Associate's degree | $11,786 | $61,908 (63 grads) | 119 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Associate's degree | $9,000 | $61,303 (30 grads) | 74 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | $10,741 | $61,144 (41 grads) | 87 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Associate's degree | — | $60,771 (58 grads) | 47 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | $17,196 | $60,325 (42 grads) | 62 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Associate's degree | $18,100 | $60,298 (59 grads) | 38 |
| Triton College River Grove | Associate's degree | $12,266 | $59,948 (24 grads) | 59 |
| Morton College Cicero | Associate's degree | $7,500 | $57,995 (44 grads) | 116 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | $11,400 | $57,920 (39 grads) | 61 |
| Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford | Associate's degree | $20,058 | $56,886 (1,056 grads) | 721 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Associate's degree | $14,500 | $56,867 (60 grads) | 49 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Associate's degree | $6,816 | $56,748 (57 grads) | 83 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Associate's degree | $8,968 | $56,415 (26 grads) | 39 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Associate's degree | $9,730 | $56,234 (49 grads) | 44 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | $8,680 | $55,964 (96 grads) | 72 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Associate's degree | $10,000 | $54,910 (64 grads) | 58 |
| Chamberlain University-Illinois Addison | Associate's degree | — | $54,630 (27 grads) | — |
| Parkland College Champaign | Associate's degree | — | $54,463 (20 grads) | 66 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Associate's degree | $13,373 | $54,192 (35 grads) | 38 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | $7,500 | $53,608 (78 grads) | 67 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Associate's degree | $12,786 | $53,497 (38 grads) | 35 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Associate's degree | $12,175 | $53,358 (29 grads) | 44 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Associate's degree | $9,600 | $53,179 (53 grads) | 26 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Associate's degree | — | $53,108 (34 grads) | 43 |
| Black Hawk College Moline | Associate's degree | $9,947 | $53,045 (69 grads) | 51 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Associate's degree | $7,000 | $52,420 (55 grads) | 33 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Associate's degree | $14,910 | $52,107 (37 grads) | 125 |
| Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences Rock Island | Associate's degree | — | $52,107 (15 grads) | — |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Associate's degree | $8,055 | $51,392 (39 grads) | 96 |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Associate's degree | $4,954 | $50,731 (66 grads) | 33 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Associate's degree | — | $49,312 (24 grads) | 49 |
| Graham Hospital School of Nursing Canton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $48,198 (32 grads) | 16 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | $46,380 (47 grads) | 53 |
| Heartland Community College Normal | Associate's degree | $10,250 | $44,933 (42 grads) | 36 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago | Associate's degree | $10,000 | not published | 137 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | $13,006 | not published | 110 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Associate's degree | $10,762 | not published | 80 |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| CAAN Academy of Nursing Matteson | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Graham Hospital School of Nursing Canton | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Methodist College Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 21 |
| Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.