2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 960 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for healthcare students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Our analysis found Helene Fuld College of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the city of New York, HFCN is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at HFCN accumulate an average of around $27,942 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Michael College of Allied Health. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Alexandria, Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Elmira.
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Out of the 960 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts landed the # 4 spot on the list. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of San Mateo.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,947.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanbridge University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. L.A. County School of Nursing is a small public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from L.A. County School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $21,695.
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Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Falls Church, Standard College of Nursing is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $30,701 in student debt.
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Excelsior College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Excelsior College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Excelsior College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,429.
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Best Care College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of East Orange, Best Care College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
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Cochran School of Nursing came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Cochran School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Yonkers.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Cochran School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $29,255 in student debt.
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Ohio Medical Career College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Ohio Medical Career College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Dayton.
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St. Joseph’s College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. St Joseph's College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Syracuse.
Nursing majors at St Joseph's College of Nursing take out an average of $24,061 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $380, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #13, St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rego Park.
Nursing majors at St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens take out an average of $32,985 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $191, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Unitek College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fremont.
On average, nursing graduates from Unitek College take out $26,043 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Baptist Health System School of Health Professions ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of San Antonio, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Baptist Health System School of Health Professions take out $27,515 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $110.
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Jersey College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Jersey College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Teterboro.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Jersey College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $35,837. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $89.
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Delaware Technical Community College - Terry did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Delaware Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Dover.
On average, nursing graduates from Delaware Tech take out $18,104 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Trident Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Trident Technical College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Charleston.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Trident Technical College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $29,278.
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Merced College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Merced Community College District carry an average student debtload of $12,152.
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St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Albany, St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,313.
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Rasmussen University - Minnesota ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out an average of $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #22, Rasmussen University - Florida did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Florida take out $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Ambria College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Ambria College of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Hoffman Estates.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Ambria College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $32,601 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #24, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Columbia Gorge Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Columbia Gorge Community College is a fairly small public school located in the town of The Dalles.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Columbia Gorge Community College carry an average student debtload of $29,728.
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Additional Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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