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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

28 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 Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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 Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for healthcare students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing the best school in Virginia for nursing students working on their associate degree. Standard College of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Falls Church.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,701.

Full Nursing at Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing Report

#2

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Virginia Career College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Eastern Virginia Career College accumulate an average of around $26,429 in student debt.

Read More…

#3

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

Out of the 28 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Centra College of Nursing landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Centra College of Nursing take out an average of $24,398 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Centra College of Nursing

The excellent associate degree programs at Riverside College of Health Careers helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Newport News, Riverside College of Health Careers is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Riverside College of Health Careers accumulate an average of around $29,751 in student debt.

Read More…

#5

Southside College of Health Sciences

Colonial Heights, VA

The excellent associate degree programs at Southside College of Health Sciences helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia. Southside College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Colonial Heights.

On average, nursing graduates from Southside College of Health Sciences take out $22,770 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#6

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

ECPI University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. ECPI University is a large private for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ECPI University accumulate an average of around $35,025 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $174.

Full Nursing at ECPI University Report

Northern Virginia 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 large suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,241.

Read full report on Nursing at Northern Virginia Community College

Rappahannock Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the rural area of Glenns, RCC is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at RCC accumulate an average of around $15,535 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Rappahannock Community College Report

Thomas Nelson 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 #9 on the list. TNCC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Hampton.

On average, nursing graduates from TNCC take out $20,155 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Thomas Nelson Community College Report

#10

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, VA

Germanna 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 Locust Grove, Germanna Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Germanna Community College accumulate an average of around $18,248 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Germanna Community College Report

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
Kentucky 6,395
West Virginia 1,771
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

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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