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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

25 Colleges
$4,549 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Washington. In total, 3,851 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Washington.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 25 schools in Washington to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#1

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA

Our analysis found Bellevue College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Washington. Located in the midsize city of Bellevue, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BC are $4,057 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,995.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, BC is ranked #1 for overall quality for nursing in Washington.

Read full report on Nursing at Bellevue College

#2

Highline College

Des Moines, WA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Highline College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list. Highline is a small public school located in the suburb of Des Moines.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Highline are $4,344 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Highline take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,371.

Highline also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington rankings.

Read full report on Nursing at Highline College

Out of the 25 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Everett Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Everett Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Everett.

Everett Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,062 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Everett Community College carry an average student debtload of $18,827.

Read More…

The excellent associate degree programs at Shoreline Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Washington. Located in the large suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Shoreline Community College are $4,166 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Shoreline Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,705.

Shoreline Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list.

Read More…

#5

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA

Out of the 25 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Seattle Central College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year. Nursing majors at Seattle Central take out an average of $23,418 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Seattle Central also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list, coming in at #4.

Read full report on Nursing at Seattle Central College

With a ranking of #6, Spokane Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Community College are $3,826 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Spokane Community College carry an average student debtload of $23,946.

Read More…

#7

Centralia College

Centralia, WA

Centralia College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list. Located in the distant town of Centralia, Centralia College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Centralia College are $4,770 a year. Nursing majors at Centralia College take out an average of $12,250 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Centralia College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list.

Read full report on Nursing at Centralia College

#8

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA

Wenatchee Valley College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington ranking. WVC is a small public school located in the small city of Wenatchee.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WVC are $4,320 a year. Nursing majors at WVC take out an average of $20,904 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Wenatchee Valley College Report

#9

Lower Columbia College

Longview, WA

Lower Columbia 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 #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Longview, LCC is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCC are $4,182 per year. Nursing majors at LCC take out an average of $21,451 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Lower Columbia College

#10

Olympic College

Bremerton, WA

Olympic College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington ranking. Located in the city of Bremerton, OC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at OC are $4,101 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at OC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,970.

Full Nursing at Olympic College Report

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Oregon 1,502
California 18,329
Nevada 2,015
Hawaii 535
Alaska 177

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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.

  • 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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