2026 Best Critical Care Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Critical Care Nursing programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their critical care nursing programs.

College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best critical care nursing schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Critical Care Nursing Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Best Schools for Critical Care Nursing in the Great Lakes Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall critical care nursing education in the Great Lakes Region.

Top Schools in Critical Care Nursing

1

Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Critical Care Nursing Degrees Awarded

$106,008 Median Starting Salary

No school ranked higher than Youngstown State University this year for critical care nursing. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown. The six-year graduation rate is 50%. There were roughly 11 critical care nursing students who graduated with this degree at Youngstown State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from Youngstown State University generally make around $106,008. Youngstown State University graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. See the full critical care nursing program report for Youngstown State University

2

Herzing University Madison
Madison, WI

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

10 Critical Care Nursing Degrees Awarded

$90,021 Median Starting Salary

Students looking for a strong critical care nursing program will find one at Herzing University Madison, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Madison, Herzing University Madison is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Herzing University Madison graduates 22% of students within six years. There were roughly 10 critical care nursing students who graduated with this degree at Herzing University Madison in the most recent data year. Critical Care Nursing graduates of Herzing University Madison earn a median of $90,021 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $37,747 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in critical care nursing from Herzing University Madison

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 10 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.