2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina
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 2023 rankings named Cabarrus College of Health Sciences the best school in North Carolina for nursing students working on their associate degree. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large 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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The excellent associate degree programs at Central Piedmont Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public school 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.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend College of the Albemarle. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the town of Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle is a public school 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.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Brunswick Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the rural area of Bolivia, Brunswick Community College is a public college 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.
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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 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. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public school with a medium-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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Craven 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 #8 on the list. 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 came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Richmond Community College is a small public school located in the distant 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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Johnston Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Smithfield, Johnston Community College is a public school with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Johnston Community College carry an average student debtload of $18,757.
Full Nursing at Johnston Community College Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
More Nursing Rankings in North Carolina
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 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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