Aurora University, situated in upstate Illinois in the western suburbs of Chicago, offers 40 undergraduate majors and 34 minors, nine master's degrees and multiple certificates in education and business. Opened in 1893, Aurora University's School of Nursing allows students to follow two tracks. One is for future nurses who are taking their first courses in the field. The school also has a program for students who are already registered nurses with associates degrees. These students study to complete their bachelor of science nursing degrees. Scholarships are available through the Dunham Nursing Scholars grant funded education program. Aurora is a well-rounded institution with more than 60 musical, literary, religious, social and service organizations as well as 18 athletic teams that compete on the NCAA Division III level.
The University of St. Francis is in Joliet, approximately 35 miles southwest of Chicago. Its school of nursing has both undergraduate and graduate programs. The graduate program includes a master's degree in the science in nursing and a teaching in nursing certificate. The undergraduate program includes a bachelor of science in nursing and an RN to BSN fast track that's available on line. It also has an RN to BSN fast track bridge program for students who first attended Joliet Junior College. The University of St. Francis was established in 1920 and is a private school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. The university has one teacher for every 12 students.
The University of Illinois at Chicago School of Nursing offers a traditional bachelor of science in nursing degree for students who have completed 57 hours of college level pre-requisite courses. Those pre-requisite courses comprise half of a bachelor's degree. If admitted, students will then have to attend school on a full-time basis for two years to earn their nursing degree. The courses are offered at the university's campuses in Chicago and the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois at Chicago also has an on-line program where students with RN degrees can upgrade to BSNs. A master's degree in the science of nursing is also available. UIC is a major research university with 15 academic colleges, 1,600 faculty members, and 15,000 undergraduate and 9,000 post graduate students. The school has dorms and offers 18 NCAA Division I sports teams.
The Lakeview College of Nursing has four-year bachelor of science programs in nursing offered at two locations. One location is on its main campus in Danville and the other, which works in partnership with Eastern Illinois University, is in the town of Charleston. Financial aid is available for future nurses in the form of loans, scholarships and grants. This commuter school - it does not have its own dorms - features a library with 1,900 books, 350 videos, and subscriptions to 45 medical journals. The Lakeview College of Nursing library is a member of a system that permits students to borrow books from 100 other libraries in the eastern and central part of Illinois.