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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

960 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

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 2023 rankings named Helene Fuld College of Nursing the best school in the United States for nursing students working on their associate degree. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Helene Fuld College of Nursing

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Michael College of Allied Health. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Alexandria, Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Saint Michael College of Allied Health Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Arnot Ogden Medical Center helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Elmira.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts

#5

Stanbridge University

Irvine, CA

Out of the 960 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanbridge University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Stanbridge University Report

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health

With a ranking of #7, Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. 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.

Read More…

#8

Excelsior College

Albany, NY

Excelsior College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Excelsior College is a fairly 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Excelsior College

#9

Best Care College

East Orange, NJ

Best Care College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of East Orange, Best Care College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Best Care College

Cochran School 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 #10 on the list. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Cochran School of Nursing

Ohio Medical Career College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Ohio Medical Career College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Dayton.

Full Nursing at Ohio Medical Career College Report

St. Joseph’s College of Nursing ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. St Joseph's College of Nursing is a 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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St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens is a fairly 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.

Full Nursing at St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens Report

#14

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

With a ranking of #14, Unitek College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.

On average, nursing graduates from Unitek College take out $26,043 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Unitek College Report

With a ranking of #15, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of San Antonio, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a private for-profit school 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.

Full Nursing at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions Report

#16

Jersey College

Teterboro, NJ

Jersey College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. 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.

Read More…

Delaware Technical Community College - Terry landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Delaware Technical Community College - Terry

#18

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC

Trident Technical 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 #18 on the list. Trident Technical College is a fairly 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.

Read More…

#19

Merced College

Merced, CA

Merced 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 #19 on the list. Located in the small 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.

Read More…

St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing ranked #20 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the 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.

Full Nursing at St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing Report

Rasmussen University - Minnesota ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the small 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University - Minnesota

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 school with a medium-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.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Florida Report

#23

Ambria College of Nursing

Hoffman Estates, IL

Ambria College of Nursing ranked #23 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Ambria College of Nursing

Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit college 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois

Columbia Gorge Community College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Columbia Gorge Community College is a 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Columbia Gorge Community College

Rest of the Top 50 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#26

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA
#31

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA
#32

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA
#34

Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay

Saint Petersburg, FL
#36

Butte College

Oroville, CA
#38

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA
#39

Union County College

Cranford, NJ
#40

San Joaquin Delta College

Stockton, CA
#41

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA
#42

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA
#46

County College of Morris

Randolph, NJ
#48

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the schools 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.

Rank College Location
51 Baptist Health College - Little Rock Little Rock, AR
52 South Texas College McAllen, TX
53 West Hills College-Lemoore Lemoore, CA
54 Yuba College Marysville, CA
55 Herzing University - Akron Akron, OH
56 Bay State College Boston, MA
57 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
58 Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
59 Galen College of Nursing - Louisville Louisville, KY
60 St Paul’s School of Nursing - Staten Island Staten Island, NY
61 James A Rhodes State College Lima, OH
62 Rasmussen University - Wisconsin Green Bay, WI
63 Sumner College Portland, OR
64 Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
65 University of Pittsburgh - Titusville Titusville, PA
66 Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA
67 Central Arizona College Coolidge, AZ
68 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
69 Eastern International College - Belleville Belleville, NJ
70 Riverside College of Health Careers Newport News, VA
71 Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing Medford, MA
72 Herzing University - Winter Park Winter Park, FL
73 Ventura College Ventura, CA
74 Rasmussen University - North Dakota Fargo, ND
75 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA
76 New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI
77 Oregon Coast Community College Newport, OR
78 Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, CA
79 Northeast Texas Community College Mount Pleasant, TX
80 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
81 Laboure College Milton, MA
82 Maine College of Health Professions Lewiston, ME
83 Fresno City College Fresno, CA
84 Schoolcraft College Livonia, MI
85 Gateway Community College New Haven, CT
86 Texas County Technical College Houston, MO
87 La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA
88 Mercy College of Ohio Toledo, OH
89 Carrington College, Mesquite Mesquite, TX
90 Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
91 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
92 Goodwin College East Hartford, CT
93 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
94 El Centro College Dallas, TX
95 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
96 College of the Sequoias Visalia, CA
97 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
98 Career Networks Institute Orange, CA
99 Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations West Palm Beach, FL
100 Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL
101 American Career College - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
102 Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA
103 Southside College of Health Sciences Colonial Heights, VA
104 American River College Sacramento, CA
105 Southern Regional Technical College Thomasville, GA
106 Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN
107 Highline College Des Moines, WA
108 Weatherford College Weatherford, TX
109 Ocean County College Toms River, NJ
110 West Coast University-Miami Doral, FL
111 College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA
112 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
113 Harford Community College Bel Air, MD
114 Carrington College, Sacramento Sacramento, CA
115 Mendocino College Ukiah, CA
116 Glendale Community College Glendale, CA
117 Montgomery College Rockville, MD
118 Nassau Community College Garden City, NY
119 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA
120 Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ
121 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA
122 Seattle Central College Seattle, WA
123 Galen College of Nursing - ARH Hazard, KY
124 Eastern International College - Jersey City Jersey City, NJ
125 Carrington College, Boise Boise, ID
126 Lock Haven University Lock Haven, PA
127 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
128 Panola College Carthage, TX
129 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA
130 Albany State University Albany, GA
131 Amarillo College Amarillo, TX
132 Umpqua Community College Roseburg, OR
133 State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO
134 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
135 North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND
136 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
137 Centralia College Centralia, WA
138 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton, GA
139 Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI
140 St Luke’s College Sioux City, IA
141 Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke, PA
142 Napa Valley College Napa, CA
143 Howard Community College Columbia, MD
144 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield, MA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
145 Ohio University - Southern Campus Ironton, OH
146 Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
147 Mercyhurst University Erie, PA
148 North Shore Community College Danvers, MA
149 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA
150 Antelope Valley College Lancaster, CA
151 Ohio University - Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH
152 Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA
153 Athens Technical College Athens, GA
154 University of Hawaii Maui College Kahului, HI
155 Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion, PA
156 Felbry College School of Nursing Columbus, OH
157 College of Marin Kentfield, CA
158 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
159 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
160 Vermont Technical College Randolph, VT
161 Middle Georgia State University Macon, GA
162 Delta College University Center, MI
163 Lansing Community College Lansing, MI
164 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
165 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
166 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA
167 Gavilan College Gilroy, CA
168 Lake Area Technical Institute Watertown, SD
169 Community College of Rhode Island Warwick, RI
170 Beal College Bangor, ME
171 Georgia State University-Perimeter College Atlanta, GA
172 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
173 Parkland College Champaign, IL
174 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
175 Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cape Girardeau, MO
176 Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington, CA
177 Hondros College of Nursing Westerville, OH
178 Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ
179 Valencia College Orlando, FL
180 Western Technical College La Crosse, WI
180 River Valley Community College Claremont, NH
182 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA
183 Columbia Basin College Pasco, WA
184 College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD
185 Santa Fe College Gainesville, FL
186 Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA
187 Sullivan University Louisville, KY
188 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI
189 Shoreline Community College Shoreline, WA
190 Southwestern Oregon Community College Coos Bay, OR
191 University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
192 Mohave Community College Kingman, AZ

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

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

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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