2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Pennsylvania with 11,477 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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.
The Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in Pennsylvania to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from PA College carry an average student debtload of $30,149. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $324, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent associate degree programs at University of Pittsburgh - Titusville helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Pitt Titusville is a fairly small public school located in the town of Titusville.
On average, nursing graduates from Pitt Titusville take out $23,541 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $270, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 23 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. HACC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisburg.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at HACC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $31,597.
Full Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College Report
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Out of the 23 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, La Roche University landed the # 4 spot on the list. La Roche is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Pittsburgh.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pennsylvania College of Technology. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Penn College is a small public school located in the city of Williamsport.
Nursing majors at Penn College take out an average of $38,675 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Nursing at Pennsylvania College of Technology Report
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With a ranking of #6, Lock Haven University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Lock Haven, LHU is a public school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LHU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,436.
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Luzerne County Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Nanticoke, Luzerne County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Luzerne County Community College take out an average of $26,721 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Mercyhurst University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Mercyhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Erie.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mercyhurst take out while working on their Associate Degree is $29,183.
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With a ranking of #9, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Clarion University is a small public school located in the town of Clarion.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Clarion University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,813.
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University of Pittsburgh - Bradford came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Pitt Bradford is a small public school located in the town of Bradford.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Pitt Bradford accumulate an average of around $23,541 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $270, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford Report
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
New York | 17,708 |
Maryland | 4,104 |
New Jersey | 5,648 |
District of Columbia | 990 |
Delaware | 1,267 |
More Nursing Rankings in Pennsylvania
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 |
Majors Similar to Nursing
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 23 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.