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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

89 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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 Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in the Plains States Region 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 the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Rasmussen University - Minnesota the best school in the Plains States Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,326. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Minnesota Report

Out of the 89 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. NTC is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rasmussen University - Kansas. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Topeka, Rasmussen University - Kansas is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Kansas take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,326. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Kansas Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rasmussen University - North Dakota. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Rasmussen University - North Dakota is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Fargo.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - North Dakota accumulate an average of around $32,326 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - North Dakota Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas County Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Bolivar Technical College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote area of Houston.

On average, nursing graduates from Bolivar Technical College take out $26,671 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Texas County Technical College

Rochester Community and Technical 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 #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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State Technical College of Missouri came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. STC is a small public school located in the rural area of Linn.

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With a ranking of #8, North Dakota State College of Science did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from North Dakota State College of Science take out $29,618 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at North Dakota State College of Science Report

#9

St Luke's College

Sioux City, IA

With a ranking of #9, St Luke’s College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. St Luke's College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from St Luke's College carry an average student debtload of $23,684.

Read full report on Nursing at St Luke’s College

Northeast Iowa Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

Full Nursing at Northeast Iowa Community College Report

Lake Area Technical Institute came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.

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#12

Inver Hills Community College

Inver Grove Heights, MN

Inver Hills Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights, IHCC is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at IHCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,410.

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Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Health is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Southeast Health take out $26,508 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD
15 Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN
16 Columbia College Columbia, MO
17 Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, MN

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Nebraska 1,908
Missouri 6,840
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

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 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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