Compare tuition, NCLEX pass rates, and program formats for accredited nursing programs near Addison, IL.
Registered nurses in the Chicago metro area earn a median annual wage of $85,440, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Addison sits in DuPage County, within commuting distance of major healthcare employers like Advocate Health, Northwestern Medicine, and Loyola Medicine, a geography that gives nursing students access to clinical rotations in high-acuity settings earlier than in many other regions.
Within a 75-mile radius, BSN programs range from traditional campus tracks at state universities to accelerated online and hybrid options. While proximity to Chicago’s medical centers is an advantage, the real differentiators are NCLEX pass rates and net price, especially for students considering nursing schools Mokena. Evaluating programs on those outcomes, not just location or reputation, separates the strongest top nursing schools in Illinois from the rest.
This list highlights 10 accredited nursing schools near Addison, Illinois, spanning BSN, ADN, and direct-entry MSN options. Each program offers distinct strengths in accreditation, clinical placement, and flexibility. Use the program details below to compare your best fit.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Chamberlain University-Illinois | Addison, IL | ~$32,000/yr (est.) | Addison residents needing flexible BSN | |
Chamberlain University's Addison campus is located in Addison itself, offering a CCNE-accredited BSN with hybrid day, evening, and weekend classes. The program emphasizes simulation training and Chicago-area clinical placements, with no prerequisites required and multiple start dates. Military benefits
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| #2 | University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago, IL | ~$18,000/yr (est.) | Illinois residents seeking in-state tuition | |
University of Illinois Chicago, a public flagship in nearby Chicago, offers a CCNE-accredited BSN plus a direct-entry MSN for non-nurses. Students benefit from clinical partnerships across the city and state, with multiple campus locations and strong in-state tuition value for Illinois residents. CCNE accredited
CCNE accredited
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| #3 | Lake Land College | Mattoon, IL | $2,000/yr (est. net price) | Students starting with an affordable ADN | |
Lake Land College in Mattoon, a downstate Illinois community college, offers an ACEN-accredited ADN with an affordable public tuition path. The program is consistently ranked among the state's top ADN options and includes dual enrollment agreements for online BSN completion. ACEN accredited
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| #4 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL | ~$17,000/yr (est.) | ||
Lewis University in Romeoville, a Chicago suburb within commuting distance of Addison, offers a CCNE-accredited BSN with a 98% licensure pass rate and a cohort model. Students complete clinical rotations at more than 50 affiliate sites across the Chicago area. CCNE accredited
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| #5 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL | ~$19,000/yr (est.) | ||
Illinois State University in Normal, central Illinois, offers a traditional BSN, an accelerated BSN, and an online RN to BSN track through the Mennonite College of Nursing. The program features simulation labs and leadership training, with clinical placements in the region.
Rolling admissionsFully online option
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| #6 | Saint Anthony College of Nursing | Rockford, IL | $25,000 – $30,000/yr (est.) | ||
Saint Anthony College of Nursing in Rockford, about an hour northwest of Addison, offers a BSN with a 98% NCLEX pass rate and a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The campus provides simulation lab space and an RN to BSN plus a high school early entry option.
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| #7 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL | ~$23,000/yr (est.) | ||
Bradley University in Peoria, central Illinois, offers a traditional BSN and an accelerated BSN with clinical rotations at two major hospital systems. The program is CCNE-accredited and emphasizes personalized mentorship. CCNE accredited
CCNE accredited
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| #8 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL | ~$23,000/yr (est.) | ||
DePaul University in Chicago's Loop offers a BSN with a 97% licensure pass rate and simulation labs with high-fidelity mannequins. The program also includes a master's entry to nursing practice track for career changers. CCNE accredited
CCNE accredited
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| #9 | Elgin Community College | Elgin, IL | ~$6,000/yr (est.) | ||
Elgin Community College in Elgin, a northwest suburb near Addison, offers an ACEN-accredited ADN with over 50 years of nursing education. The program includes partnerships for RN to BSN and RN to MSN completion. ACEN accredited
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| #10 | William Rainey Harper College | Palatine, IL | ~$12,000/yr (est.) | ||
William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, a northwest suburb, offers an associate degree in nursing with a 93% licensure pass rate and 91% job placement. The program includes a simulated clinical lab and limited-enrollment admission.
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What factors go into ranking nursing schools near Addison, IL? We focused on practical measures that reflect affordability, student success, and flexibility.
This is the average amount undergraduates pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from total costs. It’s an institution‑level figure, not a guaranteed price for every student, but it offers a useful gauge of relative affordability across schools.
We use the college‑wide completion rate because nursing‑specific data aren’t widely available. A strong overall graduation rate often signals effective academic advising, tutoring, and other support systems that benefit nursing students as well.
Schools offering traditional, accelerated, online, or evening BSN tracks received preference because multiple pathways make it easier to balance work, family, and coursework.
Only regionally accredited programs made the list. Accreditation is essential for licensure eligibility, federal financial aid, and graduate study.
A program's first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is a straightforward indicator of how effectively its curriculum prepares students for licensure. While no single metric defines quality, consistently strong pass rates suggest that graduates leave with the clinical judgment and test-taking readiness to succeed on exam day.
Based on 2022 data, these BSN programs within a 75-mile radius of Addison, IL, reported the following first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates:1
These figures represent a single year’s results, and annual fluctuations are normal. When available, reviewing multi-year trends or the most recent Illinois Board of Nursing reports can offer a more stable picture of a program’s performance.
The total cost of a nursing degree isn't just the tuition on the website. Net price, what students actually pay after grants and scholarships, is often far lower, especially at public community colleges. Below we compare net price against median student debt for eight affordable nursing programs near Addison, Illinois.
A high starting salary means little if you're buried in loan payments. That's why comparing earnings after graduation against debt is essential, and BSN programs in the Addison area vary notably in how well they set students up for financial stability.
The simplest way to gauge a program's value is its earnings-to-debt ratio: how median graduate earnings stack up against typical student borrowing. Among nursing schools near Addison, Chamberlain University-Illinois leads the pack. Its graduates report median earnings of around $92,400 a decade after starting college, while carrying median debt of just under $21,000. That yields a ratio of roughly 4.4 times debt in annual earnings, a figure that significantly outpaces every other school in the region.
By contrast, other well-regarded programs show more modest ratios. University of Illinois Chicago, for example, combines median earnings near $68,700 with debt around $16,700, for a ratio of about 4.1. Loyola University Chicago, Lewis University, and the University of St Francis all land in the 3.0 range. While still strong, these numbers underscore why sticker price and location don't tell the whole story. Graduates from some schools in the area are likely to see a faster return on their tuition investment.
Of course, raw median earnings matter, too. Chamberlain graduates report median wages over $92,000, well above figures from other area programs like Aurora University ($58,700) or Elmhurst University ($61,500). However, those figures reflect institutional data across all majors, not nursing alone. Program-level earnings data are not yet available for BSN completers specifically, so these numbers should be viewed as a broad signal rather than a precise nursing salary.
When available, direct nursing graduate earnings, especially early-career wages one and two years out, will provide the clearest picture of how quickly nurses in Addison-area programs recoup their education costs. For now, prospective students can use earnings-to-debt ratios and median borrowing levels to identify schools that tend to produce solid financial outcomes for their graduates.
Here are answers to the most common questions about nursing schools in Addison, Illinois. We’ve gathered details on programs, costs, and outcomes to help you make an informed decision.
