How To Become a Nurse in Illinois 2025

Registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other nurse aides are in high demand throughout Illinois. Nurses serve several patient-care roles in pediatric care, geriatric care, anesthesiology, and more.

While it takes a lot of determination to enter the nursing profession, this is not an impossible task if you know how to navigate the nursing education process. Here's our guide for how to become a nurse and the steps required in Illinois.

What Does an RN Do?

A certified registered nurse is a licensed status for nurses and opens many rewarding career opportunities. If you pursue this credential or other licenses, it can open doors to many common nursing specializations, including these in-demand nursing-care roles.

• nurse's aide
• bedside nurse
• certified nurse midwife
• certified nursing assistant
• nurse practitioner
• nurse anesthetist
• chief nursing officer (CNO)

How Long Does It Take To Become a Nurse in Illinois?

This depends on which type of nurse you become since different nursing licenses require varying time commitments for degree completion. If you have no prior nursing experience or education, it might take roughly two years to earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and have an opportunity for an RN career path.

There's also a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which allows nursing professionals to explore more advanced nursing positions upon graduation. Those programs normally take two to four years to finish (depending on prior academic experience), but you can complete them faster by enrolling in accelerated nursing programs online.

3 Steps To Become a Registered Nurse in Illinois

We've made a three-step guide for how to become an RN in the shortest amount of time. These steps focus heavily on the educational requirements for nurses in Illinois.

Step 1: Earn an Associate Degree

The ADN is a two-year program and a common starting qualification for Illinois nurses because it prepares students to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). That's the exam you need to pass to earn various licenses, such as the RN or LPN. You can enroll in most ADN programs at low-cost community colleges in Illinois.

Step 2: Earn a BSN

The BSN degree opens the doors to other jobs in more competitive career fields. Traditional BSN programs take about four years to finish and offer a combination of upper-division nursing coursework and supervised clinical experience. Many Illinois universities now offer accelerated BSN (ABSN) options, which allow you to complete the degree faster and even begin working toward a master's degree in the field.

Step 3: Get Licenses & Consider Graduate School

The licensing process for professional nurses is the final step toward completing these important nursing education programs. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) governs the application process for obtaining an RN license, LPN, or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) credential.

The IDFPR website explains all the requirements for temporary licenses and permanent licenses, including ways to obtain them through continuing education (CE) sponsorship. Please review these nurse licensure specifications carefully to find out when you should submit background checks, fingerprints, endorsements, and other requirements. It also covers out-of-state license eligibility, license renewal, and license remediation.

After that, you may elect to get either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), but these qualifications are not mandatory. Graduate programs can increase your chances of obtaining employment as a CNO or other high-ranking nursing position.

Top Nursing Degree Programs in Illinois

Check out this list of accredited nursing schools in Illinois. These are among the best face-to-face or online nursing programs in places like Chicago, Springfield, and Aurora.

1. DePaul University

DePaul University helps students prepare to enter the nursing workforce by earning a BSN or MSN. This university even allows undergraduates to get a head start on graduate coursework. Motivated nurses can enter DePaul's RN-to-MSN program or the combined bachelor's and master's program to earn graduate credits and improve career opportunities upon graduation.

• Estimated tuition cost: $811 per credit hour (in-state); $836 per credit hour (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

2. Lewis University

Lewis University's College of Nursing offers a BSN degree, multiple master's degree options, a DNP degree, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). Some graduate programs are available through online delivery, plus BSN graduates enjoy a 98% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam. It also offers an RN-to-BSN program for nursing students with at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA).

• Estimated tuition cost: $625 to $675 per credit hour (in-state); $625 to $675 per credit hour (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: CCNE

3. University of Illinois - Chicago

The University of Illinois offers multiple BSN options, geared toward either freshmen, transfer students, or experienced RNs. Its RN-to-BSN degree completion program is available in a 100% online format. Graduates can also apply to this university's MSN program with or without the RN credential.

• Estimated tuition cost: $424 per credit hour (in-state); $1,041 per credit hour (out-of-state); $330 per credit hour (online RN-to-BSN))
• Accreditation: CCNE

4. Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University offers BSN, MSN, DNP, and RN-to-BSN programs. Students can pursue the latter through online delivery with asynchronous courses and convenient eight-week sessions. The program permits you to transfer up to 33 credit hours from other institutions to complete the 120-hour bachelor's degree.

• Estimated tuition cost: $395.89 per credit hour (in-state); $375.80 per credit hour (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: CCNE

5. Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University's BSN program is an on-campus degree, but the nursing school's RN-to-BSN option is 100% online. This university received recognition as the # 12 ranked program among the ''Top Public Schools, Regional Universities Midwest'' by U.S. News & World Report in 2022. You can complete the RN-to-BSN program within three semesters at one of five enrollment dates.

• Estimated tuition cost: $420 per credit hour (in-state); $434.56 per credit hour (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: CCNE

Salary and Job Outlook for Nurses in Illinois

You can look forward to steady career growth if you enter the nursing profession. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) considers the job outlook for nurses to be growing ''faster than average.'' The BLS expects a 6% growth in jobs from 2023 to 2033 for RN careers, which have a median annual salary of $93,600.

FAQs About How To Become a Nurse in Illinois

These are some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) from prospective nursing students. This section covers degree costs, nursing prerequisites, degree difficulty, and program duration.

How Much Does a Nursing Degree Cost in Illinois?

Degree costs will vary by program and whether you attend a public or private university. Tuition costs can be expensive, which is why it's important to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and get financial aid to offset them. Fortunately, Illinois is home to multiple online colleges that accept FAFSA.

As you consider academic costs, don't forget to include other miscellaneous expenses. This includes setting aside money for books, housing, food, conference fees, and perhaps the best laptop for nursing students (especially if you take online courses).

What Are the Prerequisites for a Nursing Degree?

Most nursing degrees have prerequisite requirements, such as courses in microbiology, anatomy and physiology, statistics, and chemistry. You may have to complete these before receiving admission to nursing school, but some programs allow you finish them as you apply. Be sure to explore your options for completing these requirements through self-paced nursing prerequisites online.

What Is the Fastest Way To Become a Nurse?

The fastest way to become a nurse is to learn the coursework requirements and plan a strategy for finishing in the shortest timeframe. You can do this by entering a fast-track online degree program or one of the accelerated BSN options we mentioned above.

What Is the Easiest Nursing Degree?

The easiest nursing degree program is normally the first degree level, which is the ADN. Coursework is more basic at this level, and if you complete it at an accredited community college, you can transfer many of the courses to get credit for prerequisites if you choose to enter a BSN program later.

Find a Nursing Degree

Learn.org has plenty of other resources for online nursing education. Please explore the rest of the website for important articles regarding online associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral programs, professional licensure, and more.