Annie Etheridge was born in Detroit and known for her work as a nurse during the American Civil War. She was inspired to enter the field of nursing after caring for her sick father and inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010.

Etheridge’s nursing career has encouraged many Michiganders to become nurses and enjoy fulfilling careers in a variety of settings including hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, schools, and patient homes.

Best Nursing Schools in Michigan

Michigan Badge ImageIn Michigan, there are 55 schools currently offering nursing degree programs. Here at NursingDegrees.com, we’ve used data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System or IPEDS to compile two separate rankings of the best nursing schools in the Wolverine State. While one ranking is for undergraduate students, the other one is designed for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in nursing.

These rankings can provide prospective nurses with useful information such as the tuition and acceptance rate of Michigan nursing programs so they can make an informed decision on which school to attend. For more information on our ranking methodology, please visit the bottom of this page. Here are our undergraduate and graduate rankings for the best nursing schools in Michigan:

Michigan
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$21,900
Undergraduate graduation rate
61%
Undergraduate retention rate
76%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
99%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$7,334
Undergraduate graduation rate
14%
Undergraduate retention rate
N/A
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
87%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$12,620
Undergraduate graduation rate
47%
Undergraduate retention rate
79%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
94%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$3,960
Undergraduate graduation rate
33%
Undergraduate retention rate
56%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
88%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$6,609
Undergraduate graduation rate
23%
Undergraduate retention rate
93%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
80%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$11,640
Undergraduate graduation rate
54%
Undergraduate retention rate
77%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
97%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$15,897
Undergraduate graduation rate
92%
Undergraduate retention rate
97%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
63%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$4,898
Undergraduate graduation rate
28%
Undergraduate retention rate
48%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
90%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$11,984
Undergraduate graduation rate
49%
Undergraduate retention rate
76%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
97%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$12,408
Undergraduate graduation rate
45%
Undergraduate retention rate
72%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
98%
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$15,780
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$23,128
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$15,030
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$7,467
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$8,672
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$7,320
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$17,712
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$28,422
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$14,234
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$10,872
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2018-19, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Nursing Accreditation in Michigan

The importance of attending an accredited nursing school should not be overlooked by prospective nurses in Michigan. Attending an accredited school may qualify a nursing student for financial aid, make it possible for them to transfer credits, and give them a competitive advantage in the job market. A few of the nursing school accreditation agencies in Michigan include:

  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
  • Michigan Board of Nursing

Michigan Nursing Licensure

LPNs in Michigan are required to complete an LPN certificate or degree program, use the Michigan Professional Licensing User System (MiPLUS) to apply for a license, and pass the NCLEX-PN exam. RNs must hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN), apply for licensure through the MiPLUS, and pass the NCLEX-RN exam.

Many RNs decide to take their career to the next level by becoming NPs. NPs must earn a graduate degree in nursing and pass a national certification that is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing. For more information on Michigan nursing licensure, please visit LARA.

 

Michigan Nursing Organizations

There are various nursing organizations that can be valuable resources to Michigan nurses. Several of the most noteworthy ones include:

  • Michigan Nurses Association (MNA):

    MNA is known as the largest and most effective union for registered nurses in Michigan. Collective bargaining allows nurses in this organization to be involved in important decisions that relate to their practice.

  • Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners (MICNP):

    MICNP is designed to promote the role of nurse practitioners and use educational programming and policy development to improve NP practice at the state and federal level.

  • Michigan League for Nursing (MLN):

    MLN serves as a voice and forum for conversation for nursing educators, practice clinicians, and the public on nursing education and care in Michigan.

Michigan-Specific Continuing Education

To retain a nursing license in Michigan, LPNs and RNs are required to complete 25 hours of continuing education every two years. Two of these hours must be related to pain and symptom management and there is a one time training requirement for identifying victims of human trafficking. NPs must maintain their national certification requirements.

Hospitals in Michigan

A hospital is a great place for an entry-level nurse to gain valuable experience in their industry and provide quality care to a variety of patients. Fortunately, there are several reputable hospitals in Michigan that are always searching for nurses to add to their team. The three largest hospitals in the state include:

  1. Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital (Grand Rapids): Since its inception in 1873, Spectrum Health Butterworth, the flagship hospital for Spectrum Health Medical Center, has built a reputation of excellence in care, diagnostics, treatment, prevention, and education.
  2. Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak (Royal Oak): Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak opened its doors in 1955. It is now a leading academic and referral center with Level 1 adult trauma and Level II pediatric trauma status.
  3. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (Ann Arbor): University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers has been known for its compassionate patient care, innovation, and advancement in medical education since the mid-1800s. This hospital is committed to using discovery to create the future of healthcare.
Sources & Methodology

Methodology

Using the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we gathered data for 6,758 United States institutions. We then filtered that list of schools by state and analyzed the data for each state with two different methodologies, in order to create two different lists: our undergraduate list, based on 11 ranking criteria, and our graduate list, based on 9 ranking criteria.

Final data for the 2016-17 school year was used for these rankings. Schools that did not provide data for all of the required ranking criteria were disqualified from that ranking.

The 11 criteria for the undergraduate school ranking were as follows:

  1. Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
  2. Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
  3. Variety of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered
  4. Tuition
  5. Retention rate
  6. Graduation rate
  7. Average amount of federal grant aid awarded to full-time first-time undergraduates
  8. Percent of full-time first-time undergraduates awarded any financial aid
  9. Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
  10. Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
  11. Availability of tuition plans (Guaranteed, Prepaid, Payment, Other)

The graduate school ranking scored schools based on 9 criteria, different from the undergraduate list. These 9 criteria were as follows:

  1. Number of master’s- and doctoral-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
  2. Number of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
  3. Variety of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered
  4. Tuition
  5. Retention rate
  6. Graduation rate
  7. Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
  8. Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
  9. Availability of tuition plans (Guaranteed, Prepaid, Payment, Other)

All schools were scored on a 10-point scale for each of the points listed above. Individual data point scores were then multiplied by their respective weights, and the scores were added togethe