Top 10 Best Nursing Schools in Missouri

With 8,000 students, Southeast Missouri State University fits somewhere between a large and small college. Based on the banks of the Mississippi River, students get a true campus experience at Southeast.

Southeast also happens to be home to one of the most storied nursing programs in the state. Founded in 1958, the Department of Nursing offers a traditional BSN, an online RN-BSN, and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). The BSN is transfer-friendly for anyone who already started their college education. 

The University of Missouri-Columbia, better known by its nickname "Mizzou," is among the top public research schools in the nation. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that nearly half of all students graduate with no debt. An affordable education at a nationally renowned school should be more than enough to attract students to the Sinclair School of Nursing.

Nursing degrees are available at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The Sinclair School of Nursing is part of the University of Missouri Health System, one of the largest healthcare networks in the state. Students earning a BSN could connect with some of the top facilities in the region. 

Based in the city of Hannibal, Hannibal-LaGrange University is a small school with less than 700  students. With a small student body, students get the benefit of focused education.

The nursing school at HLG is a perfect example of this. This past year, 100% of nursing graduates found a job, and 90% had a job offer at graduation. While HLG doesn't offer a traditional BSN, the 3+1 associate BSN lets you complete your BSN and become an RN in four years. Hannibal-LaGrange is worth looking at if students are interested in a small, focused, private nursing education. 

Avila University is a Catholic school with just over 1,300 undergraduate students. With a student-to-teacher ratio of just 12:1, nursing students are all but guaranteed to have small class sizes.

The nursing program more than adequately prepares students for a career in nursing, and the high NCLEX pass rate demonstrates the quality of the program. Admissions to Avila University’s nursing program is highly competitive, with a 42% admission rate.  It's also worth noting that Avila's tuition includes books and campus fees, which makes budgeting easy. 

In-state students benefit from the University of Missouri - Kansas City's low in-state tuition, though Kansas and Heartland residents also receive significant tuition discounts. Despite the 16,000 students at UMKC, the school manages an impressive 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Students interested in a BSN have multiple options to choose from: a traditional BSN, accelerated BSN, and RN-BSN. An MSN, doctor nurse practitioner (DNP), and Ph.D. in nursing are also offered by UMKC. Nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-RN at a high clip last year, and pass rates have been trending upward.

Consistently ranked one of the top public schools in the Midwest, Truman State excels in helping students find relevant jobs after graduation. This means that nursing students earning a BSN can expect to pass the NCLEX and find a position upon completing the program.

Common landing spots for graduates include the Mayo Clinic, Children's Mercy Hospital, and University of Missouri Hospitals. Along with the four-year BSN, Truman State offers an accelerated BSN that can be finished in 18 months. 

St. Louis University is among the oldest Catholic schools in the nation and recently celebrated 200 years of education excellence. With a little over 7,000 students, SLU is also a larger private school, though students have plenty of room on SLU's extensive campus. Students interested in nursing have three BSN options: traditional, accelerated, and RN-BSN.

The Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing opened in 1928 and has been a regional leader in nursing education ever since. The high NCLEX pass rate is proof of this program's quality. 

Missouri State University has an incredibly low in-state tuition, and out-of-state students with high enough ACT/SAT test scores and GPAs are offered the same tuition rate. So, if your high school academics are strong, you're guaranteed in-state tuition.

If the low tuition cost isn't reason enough to earn a nursing degree at Missouri State, then the high NCLEX pass rate for recent grads should suffice. Undergraduate nursing students choose from the traditional four-year BSN or the nursing degree completion program.

Located just a short drive from downtown St. Louis, Maryville University is a relatively low-cost private school. While Maryville has over 10,000 students, 6,400 of them study online. Of course, nursing students earning a BSN must complete their clinicals in person, though some courses can be completed online.

Maryville also gives every on-campus student an iPad loaded with useful apps to make education easier for nurses. Maryville's innovative system must work since they have a high NCLEX pass rate and an impressive 97% career placement rate. 

The University of Missouri-St. Louis has one of the largest nursing programs in the state, recently graduating 193 nurses. Such large class sizes could make this one of the easier nursing programs to get into. The three main undergraduate options, a traditional BSN, accelerated BSN, and RN-BSN, all have impressive NCLEX and employment outcomes.

 Also, UMSL's in-state tuition is extended to Illinois residents. A per-credit fee of $220 per hour is also charged for undergraduate nursing courses — something to keep in mind before applying.