2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 39,944 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 99 schools in the Southwest Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 the Southwest Region
Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Baptist Health System School of Health Professions the best school in the Southwest Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Antonio, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Baptist Health System School of Health Professions carry an average student debtload of $27,515. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $110, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Antonio.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio carry an average student debtload of $35,636. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $111.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means South Texas College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from South Texas College carry an average student debtload of $11,425.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Arizona College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Pinal County Community College take out an average of $19,049 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Texas Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NTCC accumulate an average of around $22,867 in student debt.
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Carrington College, Mesquite came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Mesquite, Carrington College, Mesquite is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Carrington College, Mesquite take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,485.
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With a ranking of #7, El Centro College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at El Centro College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,883.
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Weatherford College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Weatherford College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Weatherford.
Nursing majors at Weatherford College take out an average of $20,388 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Lone Star College System 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. North Harris Montgomery is a very large public school located in the midsize city of The Woodlands.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from North Harris Montgomery carry an average student debtload of $19,210.
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Panola College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.
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Amarillo College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Amarillo.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $22,468.
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Austin Community College District landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Austin Community College District carry an average student debtload of $18,983.
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With a ranking of #13, Mohave Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. MCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Kingman.
Nursing majors at MCC take out an average of $24,170 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #14, Del Mar College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. DMC is a large public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.
Nursing majors at DMC take out an average of $12,323 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 16 | Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX |
| 17 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX |
| 18 | Houston Community College | Houston, TX |
| 19 | Tarrant County College District | Fort Worth, TX |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21,862 |
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest Region
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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