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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Kentucky with 6,395 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Galen College of Nursing - Louisville the best school in Kentucky for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Louisville, Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville accumulate an average of around $35,636 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $111, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote town of Hazard, Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - ARH take out while working on their Associate Degree is $35,636. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $111, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Kentucky University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky list. WKU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bowling Green.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at WKU accumulate an average of around $25,980 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Western Kentucky University Report

#4

Sullivan University

Louisville, KY

Out of the 28 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Sullivan University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Louisville, Sullivan University is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Sullivan University Report

#5

Midway University

Midway, KY

The excellent associate degree programs at Midway University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Midway is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Midway.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Midway accumulate an average of around $25,148 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Midway University

#6

University of Pikeville

Pikeville, KY

University of Pikeville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky list. UPIKE is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Pikeville.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from UPIKE carry an average student debtload of $22,886.

Full Nursing at University of Pikeville Report

#7

ATA College

Louisville, KY

ATA 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 #7 on the list. ATA College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Louisville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ATA College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $40,674.

Read full report on Nursing at ATA College

Beckfield College - Florence landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Beckfield College - Florence is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Florence.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Beckfield College - Florence accumulate an average of around $39,518 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Beckfield College - Florence

With a ranking of #9, Gateway Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Florence, Gateway is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Gateway accumulate an average of around $25,591 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Gateway Community and Technical College

With a ranking of #10, Bluegrass Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Lexington, Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Bluegrass Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $24,519 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
Tennessee 6,004
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Alabama 7,364
Arkansas 2,882

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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