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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Mexico

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Mexico

12 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 New Mexico with 1,390 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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 New Mexico ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in New Mexico 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 New Mexico

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 Carrington College, Albuquerque the best school in New Mexico for nursing students working on their associate degree. Carrington College, Albuquerque is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Albuquerque.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Carrington College, Albuquerque take out while working on their Associate Degree is $34,990. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $212.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New Mexico State University - Carlsbad. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Mexico list. NMSU Carlsbad is a small public school located in the rural area of Carlsbad.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NMSU Carlsbad take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,758.

Read full report on Nursing at New Mexico State University - Carlsbad

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. UNM Gallup is a small public school located in the rural area of Gallup.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNM Gallup take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,999.

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The excellent associate degree programs at University of New Mexico - Taos Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in New Mexico. Located in the rural area of Ranchos de Taos, UNM Taos is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from UNM Taos carry an average student debtload of $16,999.

Read full report on Nursing at University of New Mexico - Taos Campus

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Clovis Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Clovis Community College is a small public school located in the town of Clovis.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Clovis Community College accumulate an average of around $13,864 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Clovis Community College Report

New Mexico State University - Dona Ana ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Mexico list. NMSU Dona Ana is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Las Cruces.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from NMSU Dona Ana carry an average student debtload of $21,758.

Full Nursing at New Mexico State University - Dona Ana Report

Central New Mexico Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from CNM carry an average student debtload of $19,004.

Full Nursing at Central New Mexico Community College Report

#8

San Juan College

Farmington, NM

San Juan College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Farmington, SJC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from SJC carry an average student debtload of $19,188.

Full Nursing at San Juan College Report

Santa Fe Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Mexico ranking. Located in the small suburb of Santa Fe, SFCC is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SFCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,105.

Read full report on Nursing at Santa Fe Community College

New Mexico Junior 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. New Mexico Junior College is a small public school located in the town of Hobbs.

On average, nursing graduates from New Mexico Junior College take out $19,434 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 21,862
Arizona 12,966
Oklahoma 3,009

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 12 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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