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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

99 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 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 analysis found Baptist Health System School of Health Professions to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the large 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. 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.

Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio Report

#3

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Texas College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from South Texas College carry an average student debtload of $11,425.

Read full report on Nursing at South Texas College

#4

Central Arizona College

Coolidge, AZ

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Arizona College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s 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.

Read More…

#5

Northeast Texas Community College

Mount Pleasant, TX

The excellent associate degree programs at Northeast Texas Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public school 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.

Full Nursing at Northeast Texas Community College Report

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 college 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.

Read More…

#7

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

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 large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a very 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.

Read full report on Nursing at El Centro College

#8

Weatherford College

Weatherford, TX

With a ranking of #8, Weatherford College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Weatherford College is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Weatherford.

Nursing majors at Weatherford College take out an average of $20,388 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#9

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. North Harris Montgomery is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from North Harris Montgomery carry an average student debtload of $19,210.

Read full report on Nursing at Lone Star College System

#10

Panola College

Carthage, TX

Panola College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Panola College

#11

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

Amarillo 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 #11 on the list. Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $22,468.

Full Nursing at Amarillo College Report

With a ranking of #12, Austin Community College District did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Austin Community College District carry an average student debtload of $18,983.

Read More…

#13

Mohave Community College

Kingman, AZ

Mohave 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 #13 on the list. 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.

Full Nursing at Mohave Community College Report

#14

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

Del Mar College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. DMC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.

Nursing majors at DMC take out an average of $12,323 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Del Mar College Report

Honorable Mentions

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 colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 21,862
Arizona 12,966
Oklahoma 3,009
New Mexico 1,390

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

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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