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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

52 Colleges
$2,362 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 52 schools in North Carolina 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#1

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC

Our analysis found Craven Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in North Carolina. Craven Community College is a small public school located in the city of New Bern.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Craven Community College are $2,022 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Craven Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,449.

Craven Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

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#2

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Pitt Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Winterville, Pitt Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pitt Community College are $1,940 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Pitt Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,613.

Pitt Community College also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina rankings.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Piedmont Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the rural area of Polkton, South Piedmont Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Piedmont Community College are $2,015 a year. Nursing majors at South Piedmont Community College take out an average of $14,866 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of the Albemarle. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the distant town of Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Albemarle are $2,228 per year. Nursing majors at College of the Albemarle take out an average of $11,908 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at College of the Albemarle Report

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Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Forsyth Technical Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Forsyth Tech are $2,152 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Forsyth Tech take out $20,943 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Vance-Granville Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the distant town of Henderson, Vance-Granville Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Vance-Granville Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,944 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Vance-Granville Community College carry an average student debtload of $12,961.

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McDowell Technical Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the rural area of Marion, McDowell Technical Community College is a public college with a small student population.

McDowell Technical Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,926 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Alamance Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. ACC is a small public school located in the rural area of Graham.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ACC are $2,310 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from ACC carry an average student debtload of $10,303.

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Davidson County Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. DCCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Thomasville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DCCC are $2,226 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at DCCC accumulate an average of around $18,621 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #10, Brunswick Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Bolivia, Brunswick Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Brunswick Community College are $2,532 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Brunswick Community College accumulate an average of around $11,775 in student debt.

Brunswick Community College also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina rankings.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
Tennessee 6,004
Kentucky 6,395
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

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.

  • 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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