Top 10 Best Nursing Schools in Minnesota

St. Cloud State University has a state-of-the-art human patient simulation lab, including five simulated hospital rooms, a home care simulation room, and 22 hospital bed spaces. With an already low tuition, St. Cloud students were awarded over $106 million in scholarship loans and grants.

The university is a great place to study, especially if you are a current or former military member. More than 600 student veterans and active military are currently enrolled in the university. 

With 9 campuses spread across multiple states, Herzing University is certainly unique. One of Herzing’s campuses is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the prime location is also home to Herzing’s innovative three-year BSN program.

Designed to prepare students for a career in any state, the BSN accelerates every part of nursing without skipping on-site clinicals. A 12-month online RN-BSN and 16-month accelerated second-degree option are also available. 

Founded over 100 years ago in the Benedictine tradition, the College of Saint Scholastica nearly doubled its student body over the past decade – however, St. Scholastica currently has just under 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

St. Scholastica’s School of Nursing also offers an online RN-BSN and second-degree option, as well as a master’s of science in nursing (MSN), doctor of nursing practice (DNP), and BSN-DNP. Despite the relatively low number of students overall, 112 applicants are accepted into the nursing program each spring.

As one of the nation’s top research schools, the University of Minnesota is popular for graduate students. But in recent years, UMN has emphasized its undergraduate program, doubling the rate of students who graduate in four years or less.

The four-year BSN program recently graduated over 100 students, making it one of the larger nursing programs in Minnesota. 94% of students completed the BSN program in three years. Of course, the graduate program is also an area of emphasis for UMN, and they offer an MSN, DNP, and Ph.D. in nursing. The low in-state tuition and high NCLEX pass rate should attract plenty of Minnesota residents. 

Not to be confused with the Minnesota university of the same name, Concordia College is a four-year liberal arts school with over 120 areas of study, including nursing.

The two main programs offered through the nursing program, the traditional BSN and the accelerated second-degree program, have excellent outcomes. Nursing students also have the opportunity to partake in an internship and clinical experience abroad, both of which count toward credits and/or required clinical hours. 

Saint Olaf College was founded by Lutherans nearly 150 years ago, just outside the Twin Cities area. Saint Olaf only offers a traditional BSN. However, BSN students have access to unique opportunities like studying abroad and the ability to double major, which is rare for nursing students. Students can also apply for direct admission, which guarantees acceptance to the BSN before they commit to Saint Olaf. 

With both Lutheran and Swedish heritage, Gustavus Adolphus College is representative of the settlers who came to Minnesota years ago. Before applying to Gustavus, applicants should note that Gustavus describes itself as a “highly selective” liberal arts college. Once accepted, students must then apply to the nursing program.

Gustavus offers only one nursing option – a traditional BSN — but the program's outcomes are great. Gustavus only graduated 30 nurses in 2021, so if this nursing school meets your standards, then you might have some competition when applying. 

The College of Saint Benedict is a small, private college located in St. Joseph. As mentioned earlier, Sant Benedict and Saint John’s offer the BSN, though students can choose which school they attend.

On top of having different campuses for non-nursing courses, Saint Benedict also has a higher tuition rate than Saint John’s — albeit by a few hundred dollars. The program only admits 54 students annually, so you may have to compete with Saint Benedict and Saint John’s students. 

With a low student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, the University of Northwestern should appeal to students interested in a small school. The campus is so close to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul that students can take advantage of opportunities in Minnesota’s thriving healthcare industries.

Anyone interested in nursing should note that the only degree option available is a traditional four-year BSN. The nursing program has been growing, too — 76 nurses graduated in 2021, compared to just 20 in 2016. 

In addition to in-state tuition for Minnesota residents, 94% of freshmen at Winona State University receive financial aid. While the in-state tuition is low, all nursing students are required to pay an additional fee per credit regardless of how many credits they take per semester. Nursing students have three main degree options: a traditional BSN, an RN-BSN, or a graduate degree. 

Graduate students can enroll in either an MSN or DNP program and specialize in several areas. Winona State also has a close relationship with the Mayo Clinic, which is considered to be the best hospital in the world. Students may be able to complete their clinical hours at the Mayo Clinic.