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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Washington. In total, 3,851 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Washington.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 25 schools in Washington to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for healthcare students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#1

Highline College

Des Moines, WA

Our analysis found Highline College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Washington. Highline is a small public school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Highline take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,371.

Full Nursing at Highline College Report

#2

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Seattle Central College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Seattle Central take out an average of $23,418 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#3

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA

The excellent associate degree programs at Bellevue College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Washington. Located in the medium-sized city of Bellevue, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,995.

Full Nursing at Bellevue College Report

#4

Centralia College

Centralia, WA

The excellent associate degree programs at Centralia College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Washington. Located in the town of Centralia, Centralia College is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Centralia College take out an average of $12,250 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Centralia College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia Basin College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list. CBC is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Pasco.

On average, nursing graduates from CBC take out $21,346 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #6, Shoreline Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Shoreline Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,705.

Full Nursing at Shoreline Community College Report

Everett Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington ranking. Everett Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Everett.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Everett Community College carry an average student debtload of $18,827.

Full Nursing at Everett Community College Report

#8

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA

Wenatchee Valley College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. WVC is a small public school located in the city of Wenatchee.

Nursing majors at WVC take out an average of $20,904 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from LWTech carry an average student debtload of $20,400.

Read full report on Nursing at Lake Washington Institute of Technology

#10

Charter College

Vancouver, WA

With a ranking of #10, Charter College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Vancouver, Charter College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Charter College accumulate an average of around $33,067 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Charter College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Oregon 1,502
California 18,329
Nevada 2,015
Hawaii 535
Alaska 177

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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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