Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

17 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 Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many healthcare programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

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 Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Tennessee 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 Tennessee

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 Southwest Tennessee Community College the best school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Southwest take out $21,348 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Southwest Tennessee Community College Report

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Jackson State Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. JSCC is a small public school located in the small city of Jackson.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from JSCC carry an average student debtload of $12,975.

Full Nursing at Jackson State Community College Report

Request Information
#3

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Adventist University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Southern Adventist accumulate an average of around $24,595 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Adventist University

Request Information

Out of the 17 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Lincoln Memorial University landed the # 4 spot on the list. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Harrogate.

Nursing majors at LMU take out an average of $24,304 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $86.

Read More…

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dyersburg State Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at DSCC take out an average of $14,708 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Dyersburg State Community College Report

Request Information

Motlow State Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Motlow take out $10,802 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Request Information

Northeast State Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Northeast State Technical Community College take out an average of $10,274 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Request Information

Columbia State 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. Columbia State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Columbia.

On average, nursing graduates from Columbia State Community College take out $20,585 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Columbia State Community College Report

Request Information

Chattanooga State Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Chattanooga State Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,491.

Read full report on Nursing at Chattanooga State Community College

Request Information

Fortis Institute - Nashville 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. Fortis Institute - Nashville is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

On average, nursing graduates from Fortis Institute - Nashville take out $35,696 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Fortis Institute - Nashville Report

Request Information

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
North Carolina 7,425
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

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

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 17 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.

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school-matching tool matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S