2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Iowa. In total, 2,966 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Iowa.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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 Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Iowa 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 Iowa
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found St Luke’s College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. St Luke's College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at St Luke's College accumulate an average of around $23,684 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Iowa Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.
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Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Mercy College of Health Sciences landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences take out an average of $33,251 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Iowa Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Northwest Iowa Community College take out $25,038 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Iowa Western Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the small city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Iowa Western Community College take out an average of $27,290 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Des Moines Area Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $23,473 in student debt.
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North Iowa Area Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Mason City.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College accumulate an average of around $19,728 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #8, Southeastern Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Southeastern Community College is a small public school located in the town of West Burlington.
Nursing majors at Southeastern Community College take out an average of $25,483 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Iowa Central Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College carry an average student debtload of $26,954.
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Hawkeye Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Hawkeye Community College take out $28,555 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
More Nursing Rankings in Iowa
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 |
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 17 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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