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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

52 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 North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 52 schools in North Carolina 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 North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Cabarrus College of Health Sciences to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in North Carolina. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Concord.

Nursing majors at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences take out an average of $26,962 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carolinas College of Health Sciences. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Charlotte, Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Carolinas College of Health Sciences take out $25,047 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Piedmont Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Central Piedmont Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,911.

Read full report on Nursing at Central Piedmont Community College

#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means College of the Albemarle is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle is a public college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at College of the Albemarle take out an average of $11,908 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at College of the Albemarle

Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Brunswick Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Bolivia, Brunswick Community College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Brunswick Community College accumulate an average of around $11,775 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Brunswick Community College Report

Surry Community 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 #6 on the list. Surry Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Dobson.

On average, nursing graduates from Surry Community College take out $13,679 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Forsyth Technical Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Forsyth Tech take out $20,943 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#8

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC

Craven Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Craven Community College is a small public school located in the city of New Bern.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Craven Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,449.

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Richmond Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Richmond Community College is a small public school located in the town of Hamlet.

Nursing majors at Richmond Community College take out an average of $12,005 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#10

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC

Johnston Community 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 #10 on the list. Located in the rural area of Smithfield, Johnston Community College is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Johnston Community College carry an average student debtload of $18,757.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
Tennessee 6,004
Georgia 7,112
Kentucky 6,395
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

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 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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