2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 39,944 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. 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.
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 the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 99 schools in the Southwest Region 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. New Mexico Junior College is a small public school located in the remote town of Hobbs.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at New Mexico Junior College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,434.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clovis Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Clovis Community College is a small public school located in the town of Clovis.
Clovis Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,984 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Clovis Community College take out an average of $13,864 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 Central Arizona College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pinal County Community College are $5,160 a year. Nursing majors at Pinal County Community College take out an average of $19,049 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Pinal County Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Panola College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Carthage, Panola College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Panola College are $4,680 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Panola College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Amarillo College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the Southwest Region . Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Amarillo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $22,468.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Amarillo College also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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College of the Mainland landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. COM is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Texas City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at COM accumulate an average of around $24,607 in student debt.
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South Plains College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. On average, nursing graduates from South Plains College take out $19,364 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Alvin Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Alvin is a small public school located in the large suburb of Alvin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Alvin are $4,010 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Alvin carry an average student debtload of $18,713.
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New Mexico State University - Carlsbad 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. NMSU Carlsbad is a small public school located in the rural area of Carlsbad.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $21,758.
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Tyler Junior College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Tyler Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,440 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Tyler Junior College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,409.
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Clarendon College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Clarendon College is a small public school located in the remote area of Clarendon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Clarendon College are $4,176 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Clarendon College take out $22,830 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Lee College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the small city of Baytown, Lee College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee College are $4,302 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Lee College accumulate an average of around $21,135 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #13, Wharton County Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Wharton, Wharton County Junior College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Wharton County Junior College carry an average student debtload of $16,606.
Wharton County Junior College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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San Jacinto Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at San Jacinto College accumulate an average of around $17,670 in student debt.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | El Centro College | Dallas, TX |
| 16 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 17 | Northeast Texas Community College | Mount Pleasant, TX |
| 18 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX |
| 19 | Houston Community College | Houston, TX |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21,862 |
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest Region
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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